All of You
by maalani
Summary: They loved their games, but I could play with the best of them. I never thought that I would become trapped in a world so dark and somehow find light, but that's exactly how this game panned out. I found myself enamored by his presence and he in mine. We were risking everything.
1. Volterra

All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer except for my OC.

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Volterra, like the young man had said, was quite a beautiful city. I was currently studying abroad in Florence, so it was not too long of a drive. He had piqued my interest about it when we met at my temporary place of work. I had been folding a few shirts when he walked up to me to ask a simple question, if we had any dress shirts with a front pocket. I led him over to the selection, and as I was helping him find one, we got to talking. We conversed in Italian until he replied in English, "Your Italian is exquisite."

This led us into a conversation about my studies at the university which led to me talking about my love for art, history and literature. He told me that I should visit Volterra while I was still in Italy, that I would appreciate the Palazzo dei Priori. He added that he worked there giving tours and because he could tell I had such passion for the arts, he would love to give me a free tour to show me the more private areas of the palace if I liked. I told him that I would think about it, and now, here I was in the piazza.

It had been a week since that meeting, and this weekend would be one of the last that I had free. We had not exchanged information, nor was I truly expecting him to have been serious with what he said. However, he was right that I would be missing out to not see the city's history and architecture while I was still in the country, so I decided to come.

I stood in front of the palazzo looking up at the clock tower. It was nearly 1100 and the weather looked as if it may storm. I heard voices behind me, so I turned. As I did, I saw a woman with indescribable beauty walking towards me with a group of what looked like tourists. She was dressed in a mid-thigh length, forest green sweater dress with a brown, leather belt accentuating her waist. Her mahogany hair fell over her shoulders perfectly waved.

The woman stopped when she reached me and looked in my direction. "You're not from around here," she said to herself more than to me. "Would you like to see the inside? It's better than the view from out here."

It was at that moment that it appeared as if the man from before materialized at her side. Of course I had seen him walk up from behind her though, hadn't I? "You came. It's a pleasure to see you again." He turned to the woman. "Heidi, this here is the girl I was telling you about." I smiled. He talked about me?

"Oh, of course!" Her voice was a gentle lull.

"I'll join you soon."

Heidi smiled at him and turned back to the group, leading them on into the palace. "Do you have to help with the tour?"

"Yes." His eyes suddenly met mine and he smiled. "You know, I don't believe I've formally introduced myself. I am Demetri."

Demetri held out his hand, and I took it in politeness. "Calli."

"Give me fifteen minutes, and I'll escape her."

I laughed lightly. He could not be much older than I was, perhaps in his early twenties. His face was the most handsome I had ever seen. It was chiseled in all the right places; he had dark brown eyes and smooth black hair that for some reason, I longed to touch. "Should I wait here?"

"It's about lunch time, isn't it? There's a wonderful bakery down the road if you're hungry. Highly recommended."

"Okay, I'll check it out."

"Then I'll see you soon." Demetri took my hand, placed a gentle kiss on the top before following Heidi's path through the doors of the palazzo.

I shook my head. He was very charming, but there was also something about him. I could not place what it was, but I could sense it. I could sense that he was wanting something desperately, and it had nothing to do with me, not this desire. His conversation had been slightly rushed as if he was in a hurry to join the tour. Perhaps he was. Maybe if he was not there, he ran the chance of discipline, but I did not think that was the case.

I headed the direction Demetri had pointed and found the bakery he had mentioned. It was a quiet, little place with much character, and when I stepped inside, I heard the light chime of a bell. An older looking lady came up to the counter and spoke to me in broken English. It seemed that I stood out around there. I replied back in near fluent Italian ordering a small pastry. She smiled and handed me my pastry as I paid her.

Stepping outside, I took a bite, and Demetri was right. It was one of the best pastries I had had since coming to Italy. I found a bench to finish eating then checked my phone. It had been roughly fifteen minutes, so I decided to walk back to the piazza. He had not returned yet. It must have been harder for him to get away than he thought. I shook my head.

"I hope you weren't waiting here for long."

I looked back up and Demetri was in front of me. I had not even heard him approach. "Not at all." There was something different about him. Something had changed in the past eighteen minutes, and I could not, once again, pin point it. It was frustrating, but it also had me a little on edge.

"Did you visit the bakery?"

"I needed something to do."

"Your thoughts?"

"The recommendation was noted and approved."

He laughed. "I'm glad to hear." He held out his hand for me to take. "Are you ready for that tour now?"

I had mixed feelings about going with him. I had just met this man a week ago, and here he was, offering me a free tour of this beautiful palace. I could not figure him out which unnerved me, and yet, I was beyond interested in finding out more about him. Yes, I may have been attracted to him in more ways than one. I took his hand and we walked up to the palace and through the doors.

The entrance hall was stunning. There were frescoes adorning the walls and a cross-vaulted ceiling. We walked across the hall to an elevator. He pressed the button, and the doors opened. "Since you have such an appreciation for the arts, I thought you would like to see one of the private galleries."

"Is that allowed," I asked stepping into the elevator after him.

"Why wouldn't it be? You'll love it, I'm sure."

Demetri pressed another button and the elevator jerked into motion. However, we seemed to be going down instead of up. Of course a palace would have floors underground. It was quiet after the doors closed, but I did not think much of it. Who talks in the elevator anyway?

The doors opened and we stepped out into this corridor lit only by torches. It was anything but what the entryway was. The walls were made of stone, and there were no doors to be seen besides the elevator. It was strictly a passageway to get from one end of the palace to the next. I looked up at him and he took my hand again. "It's a little dark down here, but the gallery isn't far. This part of the palace has never been remodeled as tourists don't visit this area, but you're not exactly a tourist, so I'm not breaking any rules."

It was a bit of a walk, but we finally stopped in front of a large wooden door. Demetri took out an ancient looking skeleton key and unlocked it. As the door swung open, he grabbed a torch from the wall and lit something in a recess in the room. Suddenly, flame lined the interior, and I could see the inside perfectly. I stood in awe. "Wow."

He placed the torch back where he had removed it and stepped into the room behind me. "You like it?"

"This is amazing." I was staring at sculptures and paintings that I had never seen before, only heard about in my studies. They were magnificent, and I momentarily forgot to breathe. I walked up to one painting that caught my interest. In the painting was a beautiful woman, she looked like a goddess. She sat on a swing that hung from a tree in a garden full of what looked like irises. There were clouds in the sky yet she held a captivating smile, almost as if she were laughing with joy. "Who is she?"

Demetri had followed close behind and I saw him too captured by the goddess on the canvas. "Her name was Didyme. She was loved by all and is missed even more."

"What happened to her?"

His eyes narrowed but not at me. In a hardened voice, he said, "She was murdered."

It was then that I heard soft footsteps behind us. I turned, as well as Demetri, to see another young man, perhaps in his mid-20s, staring at me incredulously. I took an unintentional step back and felt Demetri's arm encircle my waist. This man had long, darker hair than Demetri with the palest skin I had ever seen. It almost seemed translucent. Though, it was not his skin that terrified me. It was his eyes. They were red. What person had red eyes? Sure they could be contacts, but I had a feeling that in his case, they were not. He was dressed in a black suit with some chain around his neck holding an intricate 'V' symbol crest.

He spoke. "Do you like my home?" His voice was the exact opposite of what I had expected. I expected it to be angry or even accusing, but instead, it was almost giddy.

"Your home?" I stuttered slightly without meaning to.

"Yes, my dear. Certainly Demetri told you."

"No." I looked up at Demetri who was staring at this man with some kind of reverence. Who was he?

"I must say that I am quite pleased to finally meet you. When Demetri had told me of you, I was thrilled." He held out his hand as if he wished to shake mine. I stood still. "Certainly you would not deny me the pleasure of a simple greeting?"

Weighing my options, I decided to carefully take a step forward. I reached out and he almost greedily took my hand. I was mesmerized by the touch. Of course I noticed it with Demetri, but I really noticed it now. This man's hands were ice, somewhat colder even than Demetri's had been. He held me in a tight grip as he caressed my fingers in his. We stood like this for at least a minute, and for some reason, I felt compelled to allow him. Perhaps it was from what I sensed in him. He was hungry, power hungry, more than anyone I had ever met. In all honesty, he frightened me.

When he finally let go, a childish expression crossed his face along with the slightest smirk of satisfaction. "How intriguing is your find, Demetri. She has a marvelous mind."

"Thank you, Master."

I paused. Did Demetri call him Master?

"Take our guest to one of the spare rooms. I will call on Eleazar. I would like him to take a look at the girl."

I looked back at Demetri. "What?" I was confused. What did he mean take me to a spare room so someone named Eleazar could take a look at me? I certainly did not feel like a guest at this point.

"Oh. I apologize, my dear. I have not introduced myself, have I? I am Aro." The man leaned down to my level, his face so close to mine and his lips upon my ears. He whispered, "Welcome to my coven."

My breath hitched as I tried to piece together what he had just said. Coven? As in vampires? That's impossible. Wasn't it? My breathing turned ragged and Aro stepped back and watched. I continued to run over in my mind everything I could sense from these two men in the room with me. Yes, they were certainly different, but could I believe that they were vampires?

"Humans are so close-minded, and here I thought that perhaps this one would find solace in the discovery." Aro gave a slight laugh. "Does it bother you to be in a room with a couple of vampires?"

"Vampires don't exist." But my voice was not steady. Was I panicking? It was a definite possibility.

Aro's eyes danced with some type of fervor. To him, this was an exciting game. "Yet, here I stand, and Demetri stands, both in front of you."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"Have you looked at us? Do we look normal to you?"

No, they did not. They did not at all. Everything was wrong and off. What was going on? My heart was racing, and I had the urge to flee, to run as fast as I could. My eyes darted around Aro's frame to the door. "There's no point in running. I would catch up to you in a second." It was Demetri.

"Demetri is quite right. It's useless." Aro disappeared in front of my eyes and was suddenly behind me pulling me into himself. The air was knocked out of me, and I froze in his arms. "Do you see now?" He then released me and appeared back in front of me before I could blink. "You have nothing to fear. You see, I sense something in you, although not much. Eleazar is a friend that could focus into this and tell me more about it. Think of your stay as a free night in Volterra. You should feel honored. Any human who has entered into my domain did not live to see another day, yet here you stand however appetizing your scent seems to be."

"Okay, say I believe you. What do you want from me?" I willed my heart to still, but it was no use.

"Many things, I assure you." He then looked back at Demetri. "Go on. I will send for her when Eleazar arrives."

Demetri took my arm gently and led me out of the room. I turned back, but Aro was gone. We made our way back to the elevator and up to what would be the third floor. As we exited, I noticed more paintings and frescoes lining the walls. We went about half way before turning a corner and walking further. One more turn and we stopped. There was a door on the left in which Demetri opened, and we went inside.

The room was bare except for a double sized bed, a small table by a boarded window and a couple of chairs against the far wall. Another door stood open in the room and from a quick glance, it looked as if it led into a bathroom.

"I know it's not much, but it will do for now." Demetri went over to one of the chairs and sat. I stood in the doorway which was still opened. I was surprised he had not closed it behind us, but perhaps he was testing me, a test I was not about to fail. Aro had demonstrated their speed. "You can sit if you'd like. The room is yours for the time being."

I walked over to the boarded window and frowned. "Why is it covered?"

"We don't do well in sunlight, so many windows are covered."

"Vampires, right. You would burn in the sunlight."

I did not expect him to laugh, but he did. He seemed thoroughly amused by my statement, and I looked at him curiously. He suddenly stopped and gifted me with his amazing smile. "That's only myth. It's not real. The sunlight does, however, have an effect on our skin that would make us stand out. We don't wish to take the chance."

"What does it do?"

"Perhaps I'll show you one day, depending."

I sighed. "You mean, if you don't kill me first?"

"It's inevitable now. You know what we are." Demetri dropped his gaze and looked at the wooden floor.

"Right, and I just shouldn't have come."

He was behind me the next second causing me to startle. He wrapped his arms around my waist, and my head touched unintentionally against his chest. "I was glad you came."

"Do vampires like to play games or something? You find a human and draw them in to your own twisted desires?" My voice felt heavy, the words forcing their way out.

Demetri sighed. "It's nothing like that. Your fate was sealed the moment I saw you, and for that, I apologize."

"You apologize, yet you're glad I came?"

"The moment I looked at you, I could tell you were different. There was no going back after that. Aro would have found out, and he would have ordered me to bring you here by force if necessary, which is why I invited you in hopes it did not lead to that. Even he can see it."

"You didn't have to tell him."

I heard him smirk behind me. "Did you have any idea what he was doing when he took your hand? Certainly you wondered why he held you there for so long."

"Sure, he was testing my grip like managers do at an interview," I replied with a hint of sarcasm.

He laughed. "He was reading your mind."

I began to turn in Demetri's hold, and he released me. I looked up at him questioningly. "He can read minds?"

"Through touch. Certain vampires have gifts. Aro's can be described as tactile telepathy. By touching my hand when I returned, he would have been able to see you and my thoughts about you. He sees every thought you ever had."

"That's rather invasive."

"Perhaps." He shrugged. "I guess I'm used to it."

Curiosity got the best of me after that. Is that what they thought I had? Some special ability? Is that what Demetri was talking about? I was different, he was right about that. I could read people easily, and I was also talented at changing things up to appeal to their needs. I was excellent in job interviews and my interview at the university I attended for always doing just that. I had a background in theater as well, so making people believe something I wanted them to believe, such as in a show, was a piece of cake. People had always commented on my ability to do so, and I knew that must have been what Aro had seen.

"Do you have a gift, Demetri?"

"The majority of us here do."

"What is it?"

He turned away from me and walked towards the door. He faced me again and looked me directly in the eye. "Something you probably should be aware of. You already know it would be futile to try to run, however, if you would manage to leave the palazzo, you would not truly escape. I'm a tracker, and I would find you within minutes. I promise."

"You sound like you almost want me to try." And he did. His voice was leading as if he was daring me to attempt it.

"Maybe I do. I've always loved a good chase."

With that, Demetri left the room, shutting the door behind him. The lock never clicked.

I stood there staring at the door after him for a few seconds before going over to the other door in the room. There was a light switch just inside the door, and I flipped it on. Inside was a beautiful, old fashioned bath. It was small, but I still had room to move around. There was a slight slipper, clawfoot tub made of cast iron and inlaid porcelain. The feet had a brushed nickel finish. It was simply elegant. On the other wall was a console sink standing underneath a medium sized oval mirror. The mirror set in a beautifully antiqued capiz shell frame with a beveled edge. It really did help open the room a little more.

I stepped back out into the bedroom and went over to the bed. The sheets were a dull ivory, and the frame blended in perfectly. It was a Victorian style iron gold vintage with three cherub angels playing in the head. At the foot were three long bars connecting the top of the frame to the bottom with some type of metal flower adorning where they met. It was quite ornate.

I sat down on the mattress which was firm but not uncomfortable, and I started to wonder how they thought I was going to be able to sleep here. On any other occasion, oblivious to those around me, I would not have minded. The thing was, I was not oblivious and those around me thirsted for my blood.

Taking a deep breath, I lied back on the bed, resting my head on one of the decorative pillows. There was nothing to do in this room, and I was growing quickly agitated with the situation. I lied there for a few more minutes before letting out an exasperated breath. I sat up, took another look around the room and sighed. "I could kill him."

And the door opened.

An older man with shoulder length hair of white stepped into the room with a menacing look on his face. When I saw his eyes, I realized he was another one of them, another vampire. However, he seemed different than Aro or Demetri. He looked to be in his 40s, much older than either of them and however malevolent his expression, he held some sort of gracefulness as he moved. He seemed to float over to my side of the room and stand a few feet away. "Who could you kill?"

I swallowed and said timidly, "No one."

"That's right." He touched his finger to the granite table against the wall and the moment he did, it crumbled to the floor.

My body shook in fear. No, he was definitely not like Demetri, and even though Aro frightened me, this man was nowhere near that sensation. He went over and beyond that. His presence hung heavily in the air that it was difficult to breathe. "Who are you?"

Suddenly I felt myself pushed back against the iron rail of the bed, one of his hands wrapped around my left arm and the other pressed against the right side of my collarbone.. I winced from the pain, and he smirked, a sadistic expression splayed all across his features. "I do not believe you're in any position to be giving demands." He leaned in closer to me and his lips were upon my throat. I felt his breath against my skin, and at that moment, I knew it was all over. "My brother was right. You do smell delightful." He breathed in once more before his teeth barely grazed my neck. I closed my eyes.

"Caius."

My heart stopped. I knew that voice.

The man I now knew as Caius immediately removed himself from on top of me and stood next to the person whose voice I heard. Aro. "I was only having a little fun. No harm done."

Aro placed a hand on Caius's back. "I would prefer you not to torture the girl. The human mind is so weak as well as the body." He indicated toward me, and I looked down. I could feel the bruises forming even now.

"It is so easy to forget, brother." Aro was Caius's brother? They looked nothing alike apart from their near translucent skin.

Caius left the room, and Aro walked over to where I was sitting on the bed. "I hope you are alright, cara. You must forgive him." Aro reached out and ran a finger over my exposed shoulder.

I shrugged away from him. "I'm fine." Honestly, I hurt like hell, but that's where I was, wasn't it? Hell? All I knew is that I did not want any of them near me. Aro was only playing me. This much I was sure I had figured out.

Aro stepped away and moved back to the door. "Heidi will be in soon. You remember her from the piazza, yes?"

I nodded. Of course, I did. How could I forget someone that looked like some sort of super model but a hundred times more over? I was not looking forward to meeting up with her again. I had the feeling that she was not too impressed with me as the others seemed to be.

He left the room, and I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself. I had hoped that perhaps I was only dreaming, some kind of nightmare, but I knew I was not. I was wide awake too afraid to sleep. I stood and paced around the room some trying to sort out my thoughts, but nothing was working. I worried more about when that door opened again and if it would truly be Heidi or some other perverse freak.

I cautiously walked up to it and put my ear against the wood. I heard nothing. The knob turned meaning it once again had not been locked, and I opened it slightly. I peered out, but there was no one in sight. Quietly shutting it, I leaned against it and looked at the broken table on the floor. It had all but shattered. They were strong, undoubtedly. Granite was the hardest structural stone in the world, so for him to be able to break it by barely placing a finger, how did he not turn my bones to dust?

Just breathe. That's all I needed to do was breathe. Maybe once my head was clear, I could think straight. A few more deep breaths, and that's when I decided. "Fine, you win." I faced the door once more and opened it part way. "I'll play your game."

I stepped out closing the door behind me. I remembered the path Demetri had taken me down and I crept slowly down the hall. I reached the first turn, and there was still no one there. I continued to the second and at the end of the hall, I saw the elevator. The elevator was not an option. I had noticed a camera in there on the way up. That would be expected. There had to be stairs around there somewhere. After all, it would be a fire hazard, and they did allow tourists in here, even if they never came back out.

Turning back the way I came, I noticed a separate corridor off to my right. I walked towards it and sure enough, it lead to an enclosed spiral stairwell. I began to descend, but I quickly noticed that it went further than it should have to reach the second or even ground floor. Something was wrong. It was almost never ending, but it did eventually end.

At the end of the stairwell was a long dark passageway much like the one the private gallery had been located in, however, this one was different. It didn't look different, but it smelled different and there was a draft. To me, that was a good sign. It was hard to see, but thankfully, I still had my phone.

My phone! I had forgotten all about it. I brought it out of my jacket pocket and although it was still charged, it had no signal whatsoever. It was useless. I thought about going back up the stairs to the floor I was on and checking if that helped, but I also knew that there was a possibility that Heidi had already stopped by and noticed me missing. She would have gone to Aro, I was sure of it. Aro would have sent Demetri. No, I had to move fast. If he was already tracking me, I didn't have the luxury of time.

I found my flashlight app and it lit the passage just enough for me to start running. It was a straight path, another passage only meant to be used for travel from one end to the next. I finally reached an old door and stopped. Taking a deep breath and preparing myself for what could be on the other side, a vampire being the worst I could imagine at that moment, I opened it carefully.

On the other side, the air was musty and thick. It was a sewer. I went in, closing the door after me, but instead of running this time, I took it slow. There could be numerous objects in here to trip over and that was the last thing I needed. A sewer was good because it had to have an exit somewhere. Now the trouble was finding it before they found me.

According to the clock, a few minutes had passed since I entered the sewer door. I felt something scurry by me, and I jumped. Pointing the light from my phone in the direction I heard it squeak off into, I noticed it was a large rat. It seemed to be as afraid of me as I was of it, and I decided to keep moving. I kept my eyes focused on the ground for any more furry creatures, but I looked up every now and then to check if there was a turn into another direction. Again, this path was very straightforward. Even if I was still connected to the palazzo, I was at least moving away from the center, and that was good.

Eventually I noticed something ahead that made my heart leap. There was a patch of light draining in from above. I walked faster and faster until I finally reached it. It came through a manhole in the ground above. It was open. I turned off the phone light and put it back in my jacket pocket before looking around for a ladder, but there were none in sight. "Dammit. Why use a ladder anyway? They could probably jump right up."

"Or right down." Demetri landed flawlessly on the ground next to me, and my fight or flight instincts kicked in. Without thinking, I turned and ran. I didn't get far before he appeared in front of me. I stopped, my breath ragged. "Didn't we already discuss how pointless this is?"

Something clicked again, and I knew he was right. As he began walking towards me, I took a step back for each of his. Eventually, he disappeared from sight, and I suddenly felt myself being lifted off of my feet and everything became a blur. I shut my eyes and pushed my head into Demetri's chest. He was moving so fast that even with my eyes closed, I began to feel nauseated.

When I felt him slowing down, I opened my eyes again and we were nearing the elevator at the entrance to the passage. When he stopped, he pushed the button to bring it to our level. "Okay, put me down."

Demetri gently placed me back on my feet before noticing me grab at my arm. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"A bruise like that isn't nothing." His thumb brushed over my collarbone, and I had to admit that the coldness of his skin felt good against it. "Who did this?"

I took a moment to ponder answering his question, but I knew I did not have much of a choice. I was sure he would find out somehow. "Caius?"

I left it open hoping he would get the hint and explain who he was, but he did not. "Heh. I should have known."

At that moment, the doors opened, and he ushered me inside. I was not about to have another silent ride because now I had too many questions that needed to be asked." Who is he? Aro called him his brother."

"He and Caius, as well as Marcus, run the coven. They are the masters, the ancients."

"Caius was ancient alright," I replied smartly. Sometimes it was easier to be sarcastic than it was to face the truth. That didn't mean that I did not accept it, but I could not reason with it at the time.

Thankfully, Demetri laughed. "The three of them are some of the oldest vampires in existence. They were born during the times of Ancient Greece. They have seen much over the millennia."

"That's just not possible."

"It is when you're immortal."

The elevator moved slowly, and it got me thinking. "The elevator services every floor doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"Why don't the stairs? They start at the third floor and end in that passageway."

Demetri gave me a long look. "I think you already experienced why."

"It's a trap, isn't it?"

"Not necessarily, but you were caught in the end."

Looking down at the floor of the elevator, I frowned slightly. "Did you enjoy the chase?"

I could feel his eyes on me, and it made me feel like a small animal being cornered by the hunter. "The chase is always enjoyable, but not as much as the hunt."

"What's the difference?"

"You're still alive."

For now.


	2. Eleazar

**I find that due to the length, it is much easier and more organized to read this in 1/2 view instead of full. It's up to you, just an author suggestion.**

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When the elevator doors opened up once again, I saw that we were not back on the third floor but another, quite possibly the first. I looked up at Demetri curiously. "We're going to the Council Chamber. Your actions need to be dealt with."

I stepped out of the elevator before stopping in front of it. "My actions? I was only doing what you wanted me to do, and I wasn't going to sit around and wait for someone else to come in and try to kill me."

Demetri crossed in front of me. "He was teasing."

I was not sure what happened, but anger got the best of me at that point. I pulled off my jacket and held out my arm. "You call this teasing?" My arm had a large, disgusting bruise around the top near my shoulder. I did not think it would go away soon either. I could still feel my pulse pounding in the pain when it was touched.

He frowned and took a step closer to me before gently placing his hand over it. It was like an icepack and eased the painful sensation quickly. It looked as if he were concentrating very hard on something, but what it was I did not know. He finally stepped back. "It'll heal in time."

"Thanks." It was sarcasm coming from me again as if I did not already know it would heal.

"Hand me your jacket." The command was out of nowhere, so I handed him the jacket I was now holding without thinking. When he took it, he took my phone out of my pocket and handed the jacket back. "You won't need this."

The next thing I knew, my phone was on the ground, and he had stepped on it, crushing it into hundreds of pieces. "What the hell?"

"As I said you won't need it. You should also watch your language. The masters are not fond of it."

"You can't just take something from someone and destroy it. That's destruction of private property and a criminal offense."

"We make the laws around here." He then turned away from me and began walking slowly down the hall. "Let's go."

I took one last look at my now demolished phone before following. While walking, I put my jacket back on as the room was chilly. I looked around and noticed that this magnificent hall also had a cross-vaulted ceiling like the one we had originally entered into on the ground floor. The right wall held a canvas painting that I was not familiar with, and near the end, I noticed another fresco that was most likely painted by Jacopo di Cione, an Italian artist we had recently studied at the university.

We came to another set of doors which led into an antechamber. Although small, the antechamber held six more paintings, four which looked to be from the 18th century and two which were more contemporary in style. On the far wall of the antechamber was a large, arched set of doors. I had a feeling that these doors must lead into the Council Chamber because Demetri stopped in front of them.

I stood behind him as he turned to look at me. We made eye contact, and it was as if he was telling me to behave and everything would be fine. I was not nervous. At least, I tried not to be. I did not know what to expect on the other side of these doors. I knew Aro would be there and perhaps Caius and this Marcus. He had said the masters after all. I felt something twist in my stomach, and the doors opened.

Demetri grabbed my hand and lead me inside the room. The chamber was grand in a medieval sort of way. The cathedral style stained glass windows lit the room slightly but due to the cloudy conditions and the paint, there were no rays of sun to shine all the way through. Sculptures stood around the walls of the rectangular room, and a couple of lecterns were placed in front of dusty shelves to the sides.

From the ceiling hung a wooden chandelier with what looked to be a bronze finish and eighteen candles which were, at this moment, unlit. I saw candle holder wall scones along the walls, each one with a small flame. In front of me about thirty feet were three, two inch, stone steps leading up to a slightly raised platform which sat three wooden seats, similar to thrones, and on each one sat one of the ancients. Aro sat in the middle, Caius to his left, and on Aro's right, I presumed to be Marcus.

Aro stood and seemed to glide towards Demetri and me. He stopped in front of Demetri and held out his hand which Demetri took. I now knew what was going on. Demetri was communicating his thoughts and memories to Aro. I stood watching as this scene took place. It did not last long before Aro dropped Demetri's hand and faced me. It worried me when he smiled.

"Did you enjoy your run of our underground tunnels?"

I was not sure how he wanted me to respond, so I responded the most natural way I could in that situation, making light of it to throw the tension. "Yes, they were great, but you should probably look into getting some modern lighting down there. It's pretty dark."

The room was silent for a moment as I could feel Demetri's stare on me and Caius narrowed his eyes. Suddenly, Aro laughed. "Perhaps you are right. It could use a little light, but we don't need such things. We see quite well without it."

I nodded. "Like freakish vampire night vision. Got it."

I felt Demetri take hold of my wrist at that point, and I knew he was telling me to drop it.

"Insolence!" Caius stood from his throne in a rage.

Aro quickly turned. "Oh, brother. She is only human. Don't let her upset you. She is young. She will learn." Caius reseated himself, but I could tell that he was still seething. Aro returned to me. "You have of course already met Caius."

"How could you tell?" The words spilled out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying, and I heard a low snarl come from across the room as I watched Caius's expression turn into one of loathing and want. Demetri's grip tightened on my wrist to the point that it was almost painful, but Aro's expression never changed. He was constantly amused. Was I that interesting to him? I was not trying to cause trouble, but I had no other way of dealing with the fear I felt deep down in front of these three men. I almost felt protected with Demetri beside me, but it was not enough.

I noticed the other one in the room, the one in the throne to the left of Aro's. He continued to watch but never spoke a word. He gave nothing away but a sense of disinterest and weariness. He seemed tired of the games that Aro and Caius obviously liked to play. He must have caught me watching him because his head turned slightly, and he looked away.

Aro followed the direction of my gaze. "Ah, Marcus, won't you come say hello to our guest?"

Marcus turned back towards the three of us, and as slow as he possibly could, stood up. It was quiet as he made his way in our direction. He reminded me of a stone statue come to life, as if stretching his legs was the hardest thing he ever had to do. When he reached us, he held out his hand for mine. Was Marcus a mind reader, too? I looked at his hand for a moment before giving him mine. I did not expect for him to bring it to his lips and place a tender kiss on top.

He was very young, perhaps my age or extremely close to it. I wondered how he could have felt such sadness until I realized that although he appeared youthful, he had lived much longer than I. "I am Marcus." His voice was soft yet longing. I sensed a deep desire coming from some kind of loss, and I smiled politely at his kindness. He was gentle, and the fear I had with Aro and Caius disappeared through him.

Marcus released my hand and took another look at me before he reappeared at his throne. I knew vampires had speed, but with his slow movements before, it was unexpected, as if I had forgotten. I could not take my eyes off of him. I frowned deep in thought, curious as to what caused him such pain.

"He is quite the romantic." Aro's voice brought me out of trance, and I turned back to him. "Demetri," he said focusing back to the vampire who stood beside me.

"Master," Demetri answered.

"Eleazar has been sent for and should arrive in a couple of days. Since this one seems to have an interest in our underground passages, perhaps she would like to stay there until he arrives."

My eyes narrowed, and I caught Caius's sadistic expression behind Aro's back. This time, they would not win. Aro turned and began to make his way back to his seat. "Hey." When he stopped and looked back at me, I felt Demetri grip my arm. "I'm not afraid of the dark. If you're trying to scare me, it's not working."

Aro's eyes lit like a child who had just received a gift. He was excited about something, and I did not want to know what it was. Demetri then urgently lead me from the room.

We stopped on the outside of the antechamber, back in the Council Hall, and he looked down at me. "You are either the bravest human I've ever met or the craziest."

"Probably," I replied.

"You understand that we could kill you in an instant if we wanted?"

"I know."

He sighed. "Then you must not value your life very much."

I took a few steps away before turning back to face him. "It's not my choice. You made that clear when you said it was inevitable. He's power hungry. I can see that. If he wants whatever gift he thinks I have, then he'll keep me alive no matter what I say or do. If he wants to kill me, then he will. My life isn't mine anymore, Demetri. It's in his hands."

Demetri walked back up to me and passed. He took a few more steps before stopping. "Come on."

I did not move. "Why do you care so much?"

His footsteps sounded once again as he moved toward the elevator. "I don't."

The sound of the elevator opening hit my ears, and I whispered under my breath, "You're a bad liar, you know." I turned and made my way back to him as he held the door.

As I stepped inside, Demetri took my hand, and the doors closed. It was silent as we began to travel down one floor by the next. When we finally reached the underground passageways, it was another one altogether, one lower than the previous where Demetri had found me according to the floor lights above the elevator doors, and the lowest of all. We stepped off and I was surrounded in darkness once more. I followed his lead, knowing he could see full well. I only had to trust that he would not lead me into something. Trusting a vampire? Now that was funny.

We finally came to a stop, and I heard a wooden door creak open. He led me inside what I assumed to be a room because we stopped just inside the door. There was a spark, and I saw Demetri holding a lit match in front of him. A small light from a candle cast shadows across the room before he put the match out. It was completely bare except for an old wooden bench along the wall. I went to sit on it as Demetri began to part. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"It's the master's orders," he said facing me.

"And you would do anything he told you to do?"

"Yes." Demetri paused. "Almost anything."

"Almost anything?"

Demetri walked out, but stopped before closing the door. "It's not that I'm a bad liar, I'm just a bad actor."

He had heard me in the Council Hall. Add super hearing to the list. I pondered his words, and as the door closed, I smiled.

I was not sure of how much time had passed, but if Aro was correct in saying that it would be a couple of days, then it had been. Demetri had left a box of matches by the candle which I had discovered not long after he had left the room. I made sure to keep it lit and thankfully it had enough wax to last. To keep myself occupied, I would either make up silly stories in my head, exercise which also helped me stay warm, or think about the three ancients I had recently met.

Because of the look Caius had given me when Aro said what he did about me staying down here, I almost expected a visit, but it never came. I was left alone with my thoughts and a small, flickering flame. I was used to being alone. I had no family to return home to after my studies were through here in Italy. I was estranged from my parents, and I preferred it that way. I was left to pursue what I loved, and the arts were my only friends. I lived, breathed, and dreamt them.

I began acting at a young age in school plays as well as taking numerous art classes throughout the years. I loved to read and to escape into new worlds. I had an active imagination, and when I was younger, it often got me into trouble. I studied history and fell in love with the past. When I would see a painting, I would always look for the story. What was it saying about the time? What did the players think about each other? To me, it all fit together. It all worked as one, and it was the only friend that I needed, and soon, family.

I was sitting on the wooden bench, my knees up to my chest, thinking about what it would be like to have all the time in the world. Demetri had all the time in the world as did the ancients and Heidi, and any other vampire that roamed these halls. The knowledge they must have would be extraordinary. I wondered how one could live with all of that knowledge. I would think that after some time, I would go insane. The mind can only hold so much. Perhaps that was why the ancients were as they were.

I pushed some hair back that had fallen in front of my face when the door finally opened. Demetri stood in the doorway, one hand in his pocket, the other on the handle. "Eleazar just arrived."

"We're going then?" I stood up and waited.

"Yes."

Moving towards the door, I wrapped my jacket tighter around my frame. "Shouldn't I get cleaned up first? I probably don't look or smell too great after being down here for who knows how long."

Demetri gave me a soft smile that I could barely see in the dim candlelight. "You look fine."

"But I stink. Thanks." I took a couple of steps past him and out the door, but I could not see much further than that. I would have to wait for him.

"No, you don't stink either. I'm only trying to ignore your scent."

"What?"

"The smell of your blood, it makes me a little thirsty."

I took a couple more steps away from him until everything around me was black. Nodding, I replied. "Then this is a little awkward, isn't it?"

"There's nothing to worry about. Aro wants you alive." Demetri came up to me and took my hand like usual, leading back down the path and to the elevator I was becoming quite fond of.

"Aro only wants me alive until this Eleazar tells him if I'm worth anything to him or not."

This was true. We both knew it was. If I was of no use to Aro, the only other obvious outcome was that I would die. Then the question was how I would die. Would Aro allow Caius to give into his desires and torture me until he was satisfied, or would it be quick as I felt the blood drain from my body and my vision become nonexistent?

"You'll know soon."

We were back in the elevator, but once again, travelling to a different floor. When we stopped, I noticed it was the second. This floor surprised me because when we stepped out, it looked like we had stepped into some modern reception area. Wood paneling adorned the walls, and I noticed no windows. The plush carpet was a deep green and beige leather sofas were pushed together like you would see in a group therapy room. The tables around the reception area were glass with crystal vases filled with vibrant flowers on top. The scent of them was overwhelming.

What shocked me the most about this area was the woman sitting behind a mahogany desk in the center of the room. She was a little taller than I with olive skin a tad lighter than Demetri's yet not chalky in appearance. Her eyes were a beautiful baby blue. She was human.

I continued to stare at this woman as Demetri walked past her without a second thought. I glanced up at him, but his gaze was focused on the set of double doors in front of us. When he opened them up and we passed through, we entered another wide, ornate hallway. I noticed the doors at the end of the hall which were entirely laced in gold, and I wondered what could possibly be behind them. We walked towards them but about halfway through the room, Demetri turned to his right.

We stopped in front of a piece of paneling, and Demetri slid it aside. Behind it was a plain wooden door. It was on the other side of that door that I noticed the same cold stone from the underground passages. It was very small, and we took a few steps before Demetri stopped at the end of the antechamber, right in front of another set of doors. I looked up at him. His eyes were clear. "Want to tell me to be on my best behavior again?"

"Would you listen?"

I shook my head with a sigh. "Will they?"

Demetri let a small, playful smile escape his serious expression before turning away and opening the doors.

Peering inside, I saw Caius and Marcus seated in another set of wooden thrones like the ones previous. Instead of the polished, black suits of the previous time I had seen them, they now wore black cloaks that clasped at the throat and underneath, black robes. The room was circular in nature and spacious. The windows were slits in the walls and let in a small amount of light onto the stone floor below. In the center of the floor, I noticed a slightly sunk in area where there was some kind of large drain.

I noticed many other cloaked figures in the room. A few had a place behind Marcus and Caius including two very young looking vampires that could not have been much older than twelve or thirteen when changed with cloaks of the darkest grey. The rest settled along the wall in cloaks of various shades of the same grey. They watched dutifully as Aro stood just in front of the drain, his own black cloak being barely touched by a petite female vampire. He was conversing with a man and a woman.

The two vampires he was with had pale skin with a slight olive tone over their blanched complexion. The man had collar-length black hair and must have been around six feet while the woman stood at my height, about five and a half, with dark brown hair coming partially past her shoulders. As we entered the room, their attention turned our way, and my mind raced.

Everything else aside, the one thing that caught my attention the most about these two was that their eyes were not red but gold. It threw me off guard for a moment. It changed everything about them, what I had pictured of Eleazar anyway. They seemed welcoming, almost affable. "This must be the one you told of?"

Eleazar had a calm voice which sung with compassion. He took a few steps closer to me, Aro not far behind. Like a child, he was very curious to see what he would find out. When they stopped, Eleazar within touching distance, he spoke. "What is your name, child?"

I found it odd for him to call me child, but to him, I was. Although he was probably in his late twenties or early thirties when he was changed and I was soon to be nineteen, he had lived much longer, possibly centuries. I took a breath, a little uncomfortable with his proximity, before answering. "It's Calli."

"Es hermoso."

"You're Spanish."

"Sí."

Aro stepped forward and finally introduced us. "This is Eleazar and his mate, Carmen."

I looked over at the woman who stood watching us from afar, and she nodded her head in my direction. I smiled. "As in your wife," I asked Eleazar.

"Mates are to us very similar as finding the one is to a human. It is a very close bond between two people that cannot be broken."

To use the word mate seemed almost animalistic, but I understood what he meant. Mates were two people who could not live without each other, for if something happened to one, the other would not survive long. There were few humans anymore who had such a bond with their significant other. It was nearing extinction minus the lucky few who had found each other.

"What do you sense in her, Eleazar?" Caius never did seem one for small talk. He was impatient to a fault. I stole a glance up at him, and his eyes bore into me like he could set me on fire if he stared hard enough.

Eleazar took a long look at me before bringing his hand up and placing it along my cheek. Like the others, his hands were ice and I involuntarily shivered. He smiled an apologetic smile. "It is harder to sense in humans, so I have to focus more. Sometimes touch can be helpful."

We stood like this for some time as Aro watched over enthusiastically. Marcus, once again, paid no mind to what was going on. He spared a glance every now and then, but most of the time, his eyes were off thinking of something else. When Eleazar finally removed his hand from my cheek, it startled me back to the present. I had, at some point, drifted off into my own mind again.

"Is there something," Aro asked almost cannily.

"Sí. There is something," Eleazar replied. "It is hard to say exactly what her gift will be, but I can say that it deals with the desires of the mind. It could be as simple as reading another person's wants, which she seems to have a flair for already, or as powerful as mind control."

Aro's eyes seemed brighter than before, his face showing off how pleased he was at the find. "Fascinating."

"However, I can tell you that no matter what her gift will be, it will be strong and useful to you. That I know for sure, which I also believe is what attracted Demetri to her in the first place." When Eleazar said this, he looked over at Demetri. "I believe that her gift enticed you from afar before you even knew what was going on."

Demetri furrowed his brow in what seemed to be a sort of disbelief. "You're saying she called to me without either of us knowing?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Eleazar's mate, Carmen, walk up towards us. She stood beside her mate and entwined her arm in his. She never took her eyes off of me. "This girl has a presence that draws people to her."

I shook my head. I was not interesting enough for that. I was an introvert, hated being the center of attention, and the last thing I wanted or needed were people fawning over me. The room was starting to feel claustrophobic, and I was quickly becoming a little dizzy as my breathing turned short.

"How could a human possess such a talent?" Demetri looked at me curiously, and I wondered the same thing.

Eleazar smiled. "Certain humans are born with it. It's called charisma."

"I believe she was a popular choice in many stage plays as well, were you not, my dear?"

Of course Aro had known all about that. I did tend to get the lead or a strong supporting, but I never thought about why. I thought it was because I fit the role when so many others were not as suited. I knew I was talented, but looking at it from that point of view, that I had charisma, directors called it stage presence. People could not take their eyes off of the person. It was a part of acting that was either gifted from the start or developed over time.

I looked up at him. "Yes, but what does that have to do with this?"

"It is only part of a skill set you have as a human that will develop if you become one of us," Eleazar replied. "All of this is relative and assumed, but with the potential I already see out of you, it plays a large part."

"This is true," Aro continued for him. "When one changes, they sometimes bring a part of their human gifts with them and they become stronger than they could have imagined. Not all vampires develop these powers upon their change, but the few who do are special indeed."

Gesturing to Demetri, he went on. "Demetri, for one, was a skilled tracker even for a human. He was capable of finding where a person or group of people may be hiding, and these made his gifts very useful to the military of the time. After the change, he became known as the best tracker in the world. As you have seen yourself, he is able to find a person no matter where they may be. There is only one restriction to his ability, he must have physically encountered the individual or encountered someone who has. This allows him to catch the essence of the person's mind."

I nodded. That's how his power worked.

All of this information coming to me at once was becoming a little difficult to manage. I was not a vampire, and I could only take in so much at a time. I was under the impression that Aro would allow me to live for now, and for that, I did not know if I was grateful or more worried. The room began to spin on me slightly, and I took a step back to create some distance between the others and myself. Demetri was back behind me in an instant.

His arm came across my waist and I leaned a little into his chest to restore my balance. The other vampires in the room had all been staring at me, and Marcus, the one I thought would never have anything cross his fact except boredom, looked at me as if he were concerned. Nothing else changed in his all but dead features. Aro took a step forward and looked up at Demetri as if questioning him if I would be alright.

"She's pale," Carmen's eyes held the most concern at all, and she turned to Aro. "Has she eaten recently?"

It was as if a light had dawned on inside Aro's head at this apparent question. Had he really forgotten that humans needed food to survive? I was surprised that the dizziness had not set in sooner. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia which caused my blood sugar to sometimes drop to abnormally low levels. Then again, it had not occurred to me until now that the bits of shakiness I possessed had possibly not only been from fear or the cold.

My eyes shut of their own accord although I held consciousness. I felt someone scoop me into their arms, most likely Demetri, and I heard Aro's tranquil voice once again. "Have Jacqueline find her something to eat then take her back to her room to rest."

We were then moving quickly out of the room, and when I felt the warmth of the reception area, I suddenly relaxed. I had not realized I had become so tense. It was in this room that Demetri stopped, and I opened my eyes. He stood in front of the polished desk where the human woman had been before. She was still there and looked at me worriedly. This must be Jacqueline.

"She needs to eat something."

I wriggled slightly in his arms, aiming for him to put me down, but he did not. "Let me go. I can walk."

"You nearly passed out in there," Demetri replied sternly locking in with my gaze.

"It's my blood sugar. I'll be fine."

I saw Jacqueline move to the side of the desk and open a drawer. She pulled out what I assumed to be her purse, unzipped one of the pockets and pulled out a piece of candy. "Will this help?"

"Yes."

Demetri nodded once to her and went over to one of the leather sofas. He gently sat me down, and I curled into myself to stay warm from his icy touch. I heard Jacqueline follow. She untwisted the wrapper for me before handing it over. I took it and put it carefully in my mouth. It was some sort of butterscotch, and it tasted good.

I watched as Jacqueline moved back to the desk and put her purse over her shoulder. "I'll run out to get her something. It should only take a few minutes." I then saw her walk across the room and turn to a hall on the right. I heard her footsteps continue for a short time before they were out of earshot.

It did not make sense to me how she could stand so calmly in front of a vampire. Certainly she knew what they were, didn't she? Demetri must have noticed my curiosity because he sat down beside me, one leg on the sofa and one off, facing me directly. "Jacquie has been here with us for a while. She's fully aware of the situation."

"How long?"

"About three years, longer than any other secretary we've ever employed."

"Did they quit when they found out?" It was meant to come out as sarcasm, one of my other fabulous traits Eleazar probably would have called it if he had known, but it came out sounding more like I actually believed they had quit when they realized they were working for vampires.

Demetri stared at me incredulously. "They knew from the beginning what we were, and I would have thought the outcome was palpable."

I frowned. If you were human and knew that vampires existed, you either had to become one of them or you would die. I had realized that the most likely outcome had been one of the two, but certainly they had been changed, right? They served their time and were rewarded for it with immortality? Then again, he said that Jacqueline had been there for three years. If the others were changed, they would have still been there, just not employed. "Then the others?"

"Served their purpose." He stated it bluntly as if it was the only outcome and I was silly to think otherwise.

I turned away from him wondering what would befall this woman one day. If she had been there longer than most, perhaps they did intend to change her. Is that what she wanted? Immortality? There have been many humans over the course of time that have searched for some fountain of youth or a magical, alchemical stone to achieve this very thing. Humans were greedy, this much I knew. They also feared death and what laid in wait after, if anything at all.

"Are you feeling any better now?"

Demetri pulled me from my thoughts, and I nodded. I was feeling better. The candy had helped, but once I had some food in me, I would be better off.

The doors that led the way we had come opened and Eleazar and Carmen walked out. Eleazar noticed Demetri and I on the sofa and came over to us. Carmen waited for him. He smiled at me as he reached us. "Are you alright, pequeña?"

"I'll be fine," I replied. Eleazar seemed very kind, quite the opposite of the personalities I had encountered so far here in Volterra. Demetri was a slight exception, but he bordered on the split between caring for me and his duties.

Regret of sorts showed in his eyes, and I wondered what it was that he felt remorse for. Certainly it was not for me. That I could not accept. Did he feel guilty that I became sick in the other room? That was not his fault so there was no reason for such a thing. I gave him a polite smile, hoping to show him that I did not blame him for whatever it was that had him down. Eleazar bent his head and kissed me on the top of mine, like a father to a child, before meeting again with his wife on the other side of the room and exiting the same way Jacqueline had previous.

I turned back to Demetri who had watched the exchange. "Eleazar is a good man. He lived with us for some time, but after finding Carmen, they left the coven. He agreed with upholding the laws but not with some of the ways they were enforced."

"I didn't even ask you anything."

"You seemed inquisitive."

"I actually was wondering more about something else." Demetri continued to watch me, so I took it as the go ahead to continue. "I was wondering about their eyes. They're not red like yours or everyone else's. They're gold. Why is that?"

Demetri wrinkled his nose slightly at the query, and I realized it was a topic of distaste to him. "There are certain vampires, two particular covens that I know of, who are different from the rest of us."

My eyes widened at the mention of other covens. I had not thought to think that there may be other covens out there, let alone other vampires besides the ones in this palace. It was silly of me not to think otherwise. Demetri caught on to that fact and gave a quiet chuckle, so I asked the next question on my mind. "How are they different exactly?"

"They have a variant in diet."

The answer caught me. "But don't vampires just drink blood?"

"Yes." Demetri paused for a moment before continuing. "This is something you should talk to Aro about. If he wishes for you to know, then you will."

It was silent then for a little time longer before Jacqueline reappeared in the reception area with a cardboard box. She made her way to where Demetri and I sat before holding the box out. "I hope this is alright."

Demetri took the box in his hands, and I nodded. "I'm sure it's great. Thank you." Jacqueline then took her leave back to the desk as Demetri helped me up and we started out of the room.

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**A/N: Thank you for continuing to read. Chapter 3 is currently in the works, and the only "reviews" I have is from my best friend who is my beta. I would really love to hear what you all think, so drop a line even if it's just "like it" or "hate it." They're kind of a driving force. :)**


	3. Compromise

**To my guest reviewer: Thank you so much! You made my day when that email came through!**

**To lovelylady: I'm glad you are in love with the story. It takes a while to get the chapters out the way I want them, but I will try to update at least once a week. What's funny is that I never was too impressed with Demetri while reading the books, but I've realized that he is such a fun character to write! He and Aro are my favorites.**

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I stood behind Demetri as he opened the door to my room. When we stepped inside, he had started to make his way to where the granite table had once stood before he noticed it in pieces on the floor. He looked back at me questioning what had happened when it dawned on him. "Caius?"

Nodding, I walked over to the mess and bent down. "I'll clean it up."

Before I knew it, Demetri had his hands under my arms and lifted me back to my feet. "I'll take care of it later. I don't need you cutting yourself on accident."

He had a point. The edges of the granite pieces would be sharp, and it would be my luck that I would hurt myself somehow and make the situation dangerous for both of us. I would be in the vicinity of death, and he would probably be reprimanded of sorts if it would happen.

Demetri released me, and I noticed the box of food he had been holding sitting in one of the chairs. I sat in the chair opposite as I saw him walking to the door. "I'll be right back."

I waited in the seat for not long at all before he returned with another table similar to the one before, but it was a dark grey instead of beige. He sat it in front of me and placed the food on top before taking a seat himself in the chair that had previously held the box.

I opened the lid and saw a small serving of tortelli, likely potato, with a side of tomato sauce and pecorino cheese. In the corner, separated from the rest was a bruschetta. In a front pocket of the box were utensils along with a wrapped napkin. It was all neatly placed which was to be expected from an Italian chef. Even their take out was a work of art.

I bit off one of the tortelli, and sure enough, it was potato. The flavors were intense, and I chewed slowly. Looking up at Demetri, I saw him watching me, intently like always, and I quickly looked away and swallowed. "Didn't anyone tell you it's not polite to stare?"

His mouth turned to a smirk. "Does it bother you?"

If it did not bother me, would I have said anything? He was back to playing, not as serious as he had been before when we were going to meet the ancients. I was glad. The way he had acted then was what had induced the fear to begin with. If he was nervous, then no matter what I wanted to tell myself, I would be nervous, too.

"Can I ask you something?" He raised an eyebrow, and I took that as the go ahead to continue. "Caius broke that other table and he barely touched it yet you carried this one in here without a problem. How?"

The way he replied should have been clear from the start but with all of the strange things I had seen in these past two or three days, my mind was apparently not functioning correctly. "Haven't you studied physics? Caius focused his strength into breaking the table. I did not exert as much force while carrying this one in therefore not putting any stress into the structure. You do the same with a pencil when you write. You have the strength to break a pencil, but you do not exert that force when writing or every pencil you picked up would break."

Demetri stood and took a step closer to me. "I think what you are really asking is how he was so easily able to break that table yet only leave bruises on your skin. My reply to that is if he actually wanted to hurt you, he would have."

"Because he was teasing," I replied, repeating what Demetri had said only days earlier. I glanced back over to the bed where the scene had taken place and involuntarily shivered. Sighing I turned back to my food and picked up another tortelli with my fork. "What a way to tease someone." I could not take a bite as my stomach turned in knots.

He shrugged. "It's not often we have a human lying around to play with. He was probably curious to see how you would react. After so many centuries, one needs to find new ways to entertain himself."

"So he picks on the itty bitty human? I'm glad I could be of service." I dropped the tortelli back into the box and sighed.

I did not expect Demetri to chuckle, but he did. "Aro wants you alive. Caius is loyal to Aro. You have nothing to worry about. He won't bother you again unless Aro warrants it."

This shocked me. I thought the three of them ran the coven together, so what did Demetri mean by Caius was loyal to Aro. It did seem like Aro did most of the talking when it came to it, but Marcus did not act like he wanted to talk anyway, and Caius was busy sending me death glares half the time. If the three of them ran the coven together, certainly Caius did not need permission to do anything.

Demetri caught on to my confusion right away. "What?"

"How does that work?"

"Aro and Marcus are the original founders of the coven. Caius joined not long after it was formed, and I suppose he is loyal to him out of sense of companionship and family. This all happened before I was born, but this is my understanding."

"Family, huh?" I shook my head. "Covens are like families then?"

"They are similar, however, the three of them and the wives are the family. We serve to guard them and to enforce the laws. In return, we have each other's companionship and a way of life we can share. Most covens don't become this large because they begin to become conspicuous. There is also inside fighting. The Volturi come together for one reason, to protect our way of life and existence. This allows it to work. We have a common purpose and goal."

What he had said made sense. That's how companies worked. A few people begin a business for one common goal and as others learn about it, they wish to join because they believe the same thing. In time, it grows to become a powerful force in the business world because their common goal is stronger than their thirst for blood, so to speak. "Is that why you call them the masters? You follow what they say?"

Demetri paused for a moment. He looked as if he was running over how to answer in his mind. "Something like that. Look at it this way. They are the judges, which you would call 'your honor,' and we are the police force who brings the criminals in for justice. As the judge, they decide their punishment and often carry it out. That is how our coven is run. It is why we exist. They are there to guide, and we are there to serve and protect."

"It still sounds complicated." They were vampires using human references, and something seemed wrong about that.

He chuckled again lightly before making his way to the door and opening it. "You'll understand soon enough. I'm going to get something to pick up those pieces." He stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

I knew what he meant by saying I would know soon enough. Aro had decided I was worth keeping. He wanted to change me into a vampire and make me apart of his coven, what was beginning to appear as his own little collection. Demetri had mentioned that the majority of the vampires in the coven had gifts, and when Aro saw my potential, he ceased the moment to grab and test it by Eleazar. If my gift was not worth his time, I would be disposed of, however, if it was, I would be allowed to live, if you could call this sort of thing living.

While Demetri was gone, I began eating again. After the wait, it had begun to cool and would soon not taste as well. I stared at the granite shards on the floor replaying that day in my mind. Everything was going great until Demetri showed up. If he had never come into the store, I would be in my apartment right now studying. Vampires, in my mind, would still not exist, and my only knowledge of vampires would be that of which was written in Bram Stoker's Dracula back in 1897 along with a limited amount of other classic literary sources.

This was a problem. They were not planning on ever letting me leave here. What about my finals? What about everything that I wanted to do? Aro had been calling me a guest, but I certainly did not feel like a guest. I felt like a prisoner, completely trapped.

Taking a few more bites, I realized I did not have the energy to stomach anymore, and I closed the lid, pushing it aside. I stood and walked into the bathroom. After flipping the switch, I went to the mirror and stared. Demetri had lied. I looked like crap. I took a deep breath and stepped back into the room when I heard the main door open.

Demetri came back in with a broom and dust pail. It looked a little funny because my mind was under the impression that with all of these supernatural abilities, maybe they had magical powers and he could mysteriously make the granite disappear. Then again, I had also hoped that if that happened, I would wake up and realize I was having some horrid nightmare. He glanced over at me and to the food before raising an eyebrow. "Did you finish?"

"I can't eat anymore."

He went to the table and opened the lid, peering inside. He shook his head. "You barely touched it."

Shrugging, I turned from him and went to the bed to sit down. "Save it for later."

"It won't be any good later."

Rolling my eyes, I laid back. Were vampires ignorant? It was called leftovers. You put it some place cold like a refrigerator and heat it back up later. Of course, since it was already cooked, it could sit on the table for about a day and still not go bad. It may not taste as great, but it would still satisfy. "You know, it's not blood. It doesn't dry up if you don't suck it all out at once."

It was silent for about ten seconds. The next thing I knew, I heard Demetri's footsteps coming closer to the bed. I watched as he stood to the side of where I was lying and finally as he took to the bed himself. He pushed my bent knees down to where my legs were straight, and put his knees on opposite sides of mine. I gazed into his eyes trying to figure out what he was playing at when he lowered his upper body down closer to mine and our faces were inches apart.

My breathing intensified and my heart raced. The worst part was that it did not come from fear. I trusted Demetri in the first place for some reason unknown to me except that I found myself attracted to him. He was a vampire. Vampires had this special skill to lure their prey, and I was his prey. I closed my eyes, unwilling to look into his blackening orbs. "I really wish you didn't smell so good."

When I opened my eyes again, he was kneeling on the floor and cleaning up the shattered table as if nothing had happened. This game of his was getting annoying very fast. I sat up and watched him as he did so, and when he finished, he began to retreat from the room.

"They'll call for you at some point to inform you of what they have decided."

There was a glitch in my thought process at that statement. It had seemed clear to me what was decided back there with Eleazar. "Then they haven't decided if they want to change me or not?"

"No, the question isn't if. It is when." He stopped before leaving completely to add, "If you want to get cleaned up now, you can. I'll put some fresh clothes on the bed for you."

After Demetri left, I decided to take him up on his offer. I really did look terrible. My hair had lost its healthy shine and the top felt oily. It had not been combed, so the knots I had to deal with were not going to be pretty. My skin was dirty, and my face felt heavy. I got up from the bed and made my way to the bathroom another time, shutting the door behind me and fastening the lock.

I went to the tub and began to run some warm water while I worked through my hair with my fingers. By the time the tub was nearly full, my hair was just about straightened out again, but chunks of it were spotted on the ground. Long brown strands also strung through my fingers. I pulled those strands out and rubbed my hands together to get them to drop before stripping off my clothes and stepping into the water.

The wall had a slight recess where a bar of soap and shampoo had been placed. I rested in the water for as long as I thought I could get away with it, soaking my muscles into relaxation or a false state of it for a while. The bruise on my collar bone and arm had only gotten worse. Instead of shades of brown, they were now shades of purple and black. I touched the one on my arm generously, and I could feel the hard bump that had been left. It still hurt.

I grabbed the shampoo and washed my hair first. I let it stand in for about a minute to get it nice and clean before dunking my head back again and making sure it was well rinsed. When I felt I had gotten it well enough, I switched to the bar of soap and ran it up and down my skin. It reminded me of hotel bar soap which always gave me the distinct feeling of clean. It had a particular smell and my skin did not feel dry but not moisturized either. It was a simple state of cleanliness.

After what felt like minutes but had probably been a good hour, I stood and stepped out of the tub, draining out the dirty water. There were shelves along the wall that held a few towels, and I took one and dried off, first squeezing out and rubbing the excess water from my hair then patting down my body. I wrapped it around myself, reached back to the bar of soap and went to the sink to wash my face. After that was complete, I felt so much better and ready to take them on when they sent for me.

I undid the lock before opening the door a crack and peeking out. Demetri was not in the room, but he had laid clothes out on the bed as promised. I grabbed them before heading back into the bathroom to change. The last thing I needed was for him to come walking in on me in the middle of it.

I was surprised by how well the clothes fit. He had brought me a pair of heather grey business slacks and a white blouse. I had thrown back on my own undergarments, which in my situation, had to be forgiven. As I left the bathroom again, I noticed a pair of plain, black oxfords near one of the chairs. I sighed. I would rather wear my sneakers. One thing I liked was to be comfortable, and here Demetri was dressing me up like I was to attend some interview. Unless that is what this ultimately was, an interview to see how ready I was to become a vampire. I shook my head. That reasoning was lame however dressed to impress I was.

Taking back to the bathroom mirror, I ran my fingers through my hair again so it would dry more quickly. On the far wall to my left was a cabinet, and I opened it curious as to what I might find. I was not displeased. I took out a toothbrush still in its packaging along with an unopened tube of toothpaste, a hair dryer, and even an old comb. Someone had known I would be staying here and filled it up with what I would need. Perhaps Demetri did not have his doubts after all, that or Aro really was obnoxiously confident.

I pulled the comb through my hair before using the hair dryer, plugging it in to what looked to be a newly installed outlet by the sink. Once my hair was manageable again, I brushed my teeth. I could be going to a very important university event the way I looked, but no. I was going to find out how much time I had left as a human.

There was another presence in the room besides mine, and I turned toward the door to see Demetri standing there, his eyes wide. "Yeah, I clean up nice. So what?"

He pretended to clear his throat before turning away from me and walking back into the bedroom. "I'm glad they fit. They look nice on you."

I followed him and shrugged off his comment. "I figured that when I saw your face a second ago."

Demetri leaned up against the wall next to the door leading into the hall, his arms crossed in front of him. Our eyes met, and I instantly noticed the difference. "They're ready for you now."

Nodding, I made my way to the door and stood there next to him. He was more composed than before, and I could fathom the reason why. He stepped out of the room, and I proceeded after him. "Where are we headed this time?"

"The same room we went to earlier." I stopped, and he noticed. "What is it?"

"There isn't going to be anything in there I would rather not see, is there? I mean, besides them."

"What are you talking about?" I had blindsided him it seemed.

I took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm not stupid, okay. Your eyes are bright red unlike earlier, you're much more relaxed. Heidi wasn't in there but a ton of others were. The last time I saw her, she was with a bunch of tourists who I'm guessing never left. You don't think I can't put two and two together?"

He looked down at the floor understanding what I meant before looking back up at me. "It's been taken care of." He took off walking down the hall again, and I returned to following after he turned the corner.

When I went around the bend, he was nowhere to be seen which was odd. I kept walking until I reached the next turn, and I saw him down the hall standing by the elevator doors facing away from my direction. I wondered what had gotten into him. Was he ashamed that I had realized? That did not fare well with me. Demetri did not seem the type to care about such things. He had made it clear when talking about Eleazar's eyes. Something about his diet sickened him. I was still remotely curious about that.

"You're slow."

I stopped again when he spoke. I was still only past the turn. "I could be slower." He was so frustrating. If he wanted to act distant, then let him. I would join right along. The last thing I wanted to do was let him think that I was going to give in to them easily. He was not going to control me.

He calmly faced me and sighed. "Don't start. There are ways to get rid of your stubbornness. Trust me."

As nonchalant as he seemed, I shivered. It came from his mouth coolly. Was he as frustrated with the situation as much as I was? He was babysitting a human that he would rather kill, and I was being held here against my will with no one asking me what I wanted in any of this. It was all assumed that I would be okay with it. I began to move forward again saying, "I'm not starting anything."

I reached the elevator, and he pressed the button to open the doors. After stepping inside, I stood on one side of the enclosed space and he on the other. The ride to the next floor down was excruciatingly long as we made no notice of each other whatsoever. When the doors finally opened again, I stepped out after him and we headed wordless back through the reception area and through the double set of doors. I noticed Jacqueline eyeing us curiously, and I smiled at her.

Demetri slid back the paneling, and we went back into the circular chamber. Everyone had left except the ancients who stood hand in hand behind their thrones. They paid us no mind, completely engrossed in whatever they were doing. It looked like it was some sort of meditation or recalling, but I figured it had something to do with Aro's way of communicating. When Demetri shut the doors behind us, he came to my side and waited patiently for them to finish.

I looked up at him questioningly, and he shook his head slightly as if to say, 'not right now.' I watched the ancients as they continued in their ritualistic circle. It was another minute or two before they released each other's hands and Aro spoke. "Then we are in agreement?" Caius and Marcus both nodded before taking their places on the platform.

Aro began his walk toward Demetri and I. He gave a nod in Demetri's direction, and he turned to leave. "Where are you going?" If Demetri was leaving, that could not be good. I did not want to be alone with these three. I could feel myself beginning to panic, and I eyed him frantically. He did not stop and left the room without answering.

I suddenly felt Aro's hand grasping mine, and I turned back to him. "Demetri has other matters to attend to. He will be back for you soon."

I wanted to pull myself free from his grasp, but I knew that would be a mistake. I let him take what he wanted from my mind while I talked myself down, knowing he could hear every thought. I watched him smile in what he probably thought was a reassuring way, but nothing could be reassuring coming from a man who could rip me apart with a twist of his wrist. When he released me, I wrapped my arms around myself, my hands tucked in tight.

"Calandra," Aro began, but I interrupted him.

"Calli."

"But it is such a lovely name."

Perhaps he thought so, but I hated my full name. It caused me a great deal of grief as a child. The only one I ever allowed to continue using it was my grandmother on my mother's side. She had passed away a few years ago before I graduated high school. We were very close, and I did not need to be reminded of her at this minute. "Please." I looked away from him hoping he would understand. After all, he knew all of this.

"Very well, Calli." He took a moment before going on. "We will not harm you. I understand your fear, but it is unwarranted. I assure you. All we want from you is for you to join us, and you shall." Another second passed as he thought of how to phrase what he wanted to say next. "We have counselled and agree that keeping you human for a while longer will be to everyone's benefit. You can become more accustomed to life here while we teach you the ways of our world. Once you are changed, it will be difficult for you to comprehend anything other than your thirst for some time. We hope that by informing you first, you will be able to learn control more quickly than if we changed you now."

"Okay." I had no clue what he meant about learning control. I had no desire to kill anyone whether they changed me or not. Certainly it would not be an issue he needed to be concerned with, but he picked up on my hesitancy.

"When you become a vampire, my dear, your sense of humanity will be at a loss. You will only desire one thing. You may feel strongly about the wellbeing of other humans now and it very well may carry over, but your thirst will override it. You will lose yourself in the frenzy that will begin until your thirst is quenched."

I swallowed hard. His words stung. I was not a monster, and I had no desire to become one. Marcus and Caius stared at me intently as I processed this information. Did they think I would be okay with this?

"We can teach you to control the thirst. You will not always feel that way." It was Marcus who spoke.

I nodded. "You know, that's great and all, but you're forgetting one thing."

Aro wrinkled his brow as if he was trying to think back about something he could have forgotten to mention to me. "What is that?"

Shaking my head, I took a step away from him. "You forgot to ask me."

His eyes widened as if he were shocked at my statement, and Caius scoffed. Marcus was still with silent anticipation as he watched me with the slightest bit of interest.

"My apologies," Aro finally said. "We had assumed you did not wish to die."

"But if we were wrong...," Caius chimed in leaving the statement open.

I saw him begin to stand, and I froze. "Okay, I don't have a death wish either." It came out choppy, but he relaxed back in his seat with a ruthless smirk across his lips.

"Of course." His tongue was callous, and I looked away shrinking under the glare. I did not like how vulnerable I felt standing there or how defenseless I truly was against them. My thoughts were entirely exposed to Aro when he touched my hand, and I was at their mercy.

Aro softened at my reaction and held a hand up to his brother. He really did have the power in the room, and Caius relented. "Calli, come with me." He crossed in front of me and opened the doors leading out of the room. I followed.

When we exited the stone antechamber, Aro turned to his right making his way to the golden doors which had caught my eye so well before. I looked around, hoping to see Demetri, but he was nowhere in sight. When I refocused my attention back to Aro, he had opened the doors and gestured for me to go on in. I did as he wanted, and when I stepped through the doors, I could not move any longer. I was struck by the sight before me and gasped in awe.

My eyes widened as they scanned the room, unable to focus on one area for long before needing to view the next. The room was sumptuous to say the least. It must have spread the entire length of the outside palace wall. Across from me on the olive wood flooring stood what looked to be a Shaker influenced rectangular table. It was about eight feet long with a warm, golden wood stain. Along the walls were floor to ceiling length bookshelves full with texts of all sizes, and these same types of shelves were placed evenly throughout the center of the room.

A light fell in from above, and I noticed a skylight in the cathedral ceiling lighting the room with a natural glow. Candelabras sat on the table ahead and on miniature stands where windows would have normally been placed. This library was the picture of my dreams.

I felt Aro step in behind me and place his hand on my shoulder. "What do you think?"

"There must be thousands of books in here. Maybe more."

I could hear the joy in his voice. He felt as much comfort in knowledge as I did. One thing we did share. "There are documents in here from millennia ago, very well kept. Some I have even transferred to a more durable source for safety. After so long, the old parchment and papyrus do begin to tear and fade away." He took a few steps in front of me and turned.

"Can you imagine having all the time you wanted to explore and study and learn? As an immortal, you are able to do things you never could have dreamed of doing as a human. You become superior to those human weaknesses such as the need to sleep and the curse of age. It is a gift I offer to you, one I do not offer lightly."

When I spoke, it came out in a whisper. "It's just a lot to take in." I did feel weak because he was right. Humans were weak, but it was in that weakness that we found our strengths.

"Then take this time to decide," Aro offered. "It is ultimately your choice. I will not force you to accept. Only remember that if you refuse our offer, the consequence is forfeit."

I was unsure of when the thought occurred to me, but I had to try. Taking a couple of steps toward Aro, I worded what I was about to say very carefully. "You want what I have." When Aro inclined his head slightly to the side, I continued. "Then let me offer you a compromise."

His interest in my statement was quickly apparent. I was sure he was wondering what a human would have to offer him, but if he wanted something from me, then I was going to get something from him, something that would make things easier all around. "And what is this?"

"The semester is over in three weeks. All I'm asking is to be allowed to finish it out."

Immediately he lowered his head. "That is not possible. I thought you understood."

"Listen to me." It was not demanding but imploring him to give me a chance to explain why. He lifted his head and looked at me with mellow eyes. "Everything I own is in my apartment back at the university. I've only been gone a few days at this point, but what do you think will happen if I don't return at all? Let me finish the semester, say goodbye to the friends I've made, and then everything is set. No one will wonder where I've gone after that." I paused before continuing, forcing the words out. "I don't have anyone to return home to, so there's no one to miss. Doesn't that make it simpler instead of me disappearing into thin air?"

Aro sighed. "I do see your point, but Calli, you are a liability."

"Am I going to tell anyone? Read my mind." I jutted my arm out to him, and he stared, touched by my willingness from need. And I did need. I needed him to understand that this was the way to go about this. I needed to get away from this place for a while and come to terms with everything I had been told and what would come. I needed to convince myself what was right, and I needed space.

Without warning, a cold hand was on my wrist and gently lowered it. I glanced up to see Marcus had entered the room. His eyes met mine, and I felt as if he were reading the very depths of my soul.

Aro held his hand out to him, and Marcus took it. A second after, Aro smiled affectionately at him. "Thank you, Marcus." He then left the room swiftly, his eyes dead ahead.

"Marcus seems to believe that it would be wise to do as you have mentioned, that it would strengthen your bond with the coven. I am inclined to agree with him, while Caius sees it as a threat. If you would accidentally slip…," Aro stated, trailing off at the end.

"If I would slip, everyone would think I was insane," I finished for him with my own version of things. "Please, I'm not asking much at all, just this one thing. I'll keep your secret and when the semester is over, I'll willingly come to stay. I'll let you change me, just please, let me have this."

His eyes were sincere as he made the decision. "I will let you return, however, you do not have classes on the weekends. Is this correct?"

I nodded. I, of course, had a job which I worked on the weekends, but I did not want to push my luck. I would figure that out as soon as I got back to Florence. He was agreeing to let me finish out the semester which meant I could return to human society for a while longer and give a proper send off to that part of my life. I was okay with anything at this point.

"As this is the case, you will return here during that time. Your weekends will be spent learning our ways and training your mind. I want to earn your trust, Calli, and this will be one way to earn mine." Aro stopped before adding a warning that he had no need to mention because I knew the consequence if I did not obey. "I must inform you that if you fail to return, I will send Demetri for you, and you will be locked up as before until the time has come."

My expression did not falter. Our eyes were connected and I was firm. "I won't run."

When he smiled, it was a smile of acknowledgement. He believed me, most likely from knowing me so well already from reading all of my thoughts. He appreciated my forwardness to save him the trouble. "I am glad to hear." He turned from me then, facing the table in the room. "And also keep in mind that if anyone would find out, they will die a most painful death."

"They won't."

His sudden mood swing caught me off guard again as he faced me once more, a large, goofy expression on his face. "I am so glad you understand. It is wonderful when things end well, is it not?" He clapped his hands together once and seemingly glided forward past me to the golden doors. "Demetri."

At the command, Demetri appeared through the now open doors, and with a nod of his head, Aro was gone. I would never entirely get used to their ridiculous speed. I watched Demetri closely as he held out his hand for me to take. "I will take you back to the university tonight."

Had he really been listening outside the door the whole time? I did remember that he had amazing hearing and could have been waiting near the far wall of the room previous, but it astounded me nonetheless that he already knew when Aro did not say a word to him. I took the few steps over to him and put my hand in his. The one thing I was getting used to was this.

* * *

**A/N: Leave me some love! Or hate... I'll take either, but I do hope you enjoyed the update.**


	4. Distracted

I sat in my apartment thinking over everything that had happened in the past three days. It was late when we got back, and I thought about going straight to bed to sleep it all off. I knew that would not work, but it was better than mulling it over in my mind for hours which was exactly what I was doing now. I had tried to sleep but to no avail. Aro's soft voice kept ringing in my ears, and every time it did, my eyes shot open and the lamp went on. I gave up after the third time.

The ride back to Florence was uneventful. Demetri took me to the back side of the palazzo where there sat a few different vehicles in what could almost be described as an underground garage. A small ramp led from the stoned pavement up to a gated area of a narrow alley off the street. I looked at the vehicles in front of me, and each one was extraordinarily made with specific detail. None of them were exactly alike. They were high class as if anything else would be expected from these 'people.' "Vampires drive cars?"

"How else do you expect us to get around?" Demetri looked at me like I had asked the stupidest question ever. It had never occurred to me that they would still probably travel the same way humans did. After all, what I knew of vampires came from stories and nothing so far was true.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I figured you could transform into bats and fly wherever you needed to go."

He laughed. "Wouldn't that be something?"

I knew nothing about cars, but I could respect them, especially this one. He stepped up to a shiny, moonstone silver car that was so much more than a plain old sports car. This outdid the likes of BMWs and Corvettes. It had some sort of vent on the side as well as on the hood which caved in to seat it. The headlights were the stretched oval type lights that when a person looked at the car from the front, it would look as if it had a face and was smiling.

The interior was small, seating only two passengers, and the seats rode low, only four inches from the road. To get in was a pain. The best part, the doors did not open as normal. They rose from the top instead of swinging from the side. It reminded me of a superhero type car, over the top expensive and futuristic, definitely fitting a person of luxurious wealth.

When I had finally managed to get in, a challenge in itself due to the bucket structure of the seats, I reached up and pulled the door shut. Demetri winced. When he got in, he demonstrated the proper way to close the door. "You don't need to slam it. Gently guide it down towards you and it will lock on its own. It's fiberglass, so it'll break easily." I nodded once. Wasn't the saying, 'boys and their toys?" Besides, I was only a weak, little human. How could I break anything?

When he pulled out from the palazzo onto the road beside the piazza, the engine roared to life. The mere sound of it starting made me jump. As he drove, the fastest I have ever been in a car, I pulled my knees upwards to my body and wrapped my arms around them. He was going at least 180 miles per hour and because the seats sat so low to the ground, it felt faster and the ride was terrifying.

He glanced over at me and grinned. "Too fast for you?"

"Besides the fact that you're speeding?" My voice was high pitched as I tried not to panic. He was relatively invincible while I was a glass sculpture waiting to crack at the slightest touch.

"I thought you wanted to get back as soon as possible."

"Yes, and preferably as safe as possible, too."

At this, he slowed down to a manageable speed, having no traffic on the countryside road. Shaking his head, he put one of his hands on my knee and patted it. My eyes were glued shut, and as he did this, I opened them and took a deep breath. "Is that better?"

I took my eyes away from his hand and turned my attention to the fields outside my window instead. "Yes."

Noticing my uncomfortableness, he removed his hand and put it back on the steering wheel. "You're safe with me. As long as Aro has an interest in you, you're under his protection. That means that while you're in my care, no harm will come to you."

I did not reply. I continued to stare out the window and swallowed hard. I did not want or ask to be in his care. Why did he have to notice me in the first place? Why did I have to have some weird ability that made them want me to join them, and how did I go from being a normal university student to having the knowledge that vampires even existed? I did want to hide, but I knew that was impossible.

After a while, the silence was killing me, and I needed one of us to say something. I was sitting in an enclosed, tight space with a killing machine, and the lack of conversation wracked my nerves even more. The air was tense with anticipation as I turned my head forward and looked at my knees.

"What are you thinking?" The question came out of nowhere, and his voice was tender and alluring.

I tried to brush it off as I faced him, but when I did, I noticed he was staring at me. My eyes widened, and I turned back to the road in front of us. "Would you at least watch where you're going?" I was terrified, and it showed. My voice shook, and the words came out meshed together as my body contorted even more to a scrunched position.

"Would you relax?" He laughed again at my behavior, and from my peripheral, I saw him face ahead. "Are you that afraid of my driving? I promise you, I drive better than any human you've been in a vehicle with."

"You drive like a maniac."

He did not bother me anymore after that and kept his driving to a suitable level. His eyes were stuck to the road, and he dropped his speed to about 75. Whenever I glanced at him, he was completely focused on the task at hand, as aggravating as it may have been to not travel at what felt like light speed.

When we arrived back at the campus, I directed him to my building. He parked outside before immediately getting out and opening my door before I had the chance. Of course he did not want me ruining this masterpiece of a car. When I got out, we stood there looking at each other before I finally had the nerve to speak.

I was nervous to mention it, but it did need to be done. "I know Aro wants me to come back on the weekends, but I do have a job."

There was no acknowledgement from Demetri. He just simply stated, "Make arrangements," before beginning to walk up the sidewalk to the building. I watched him as he stopped halfway there to turn back to me. "What if something happens on your way in? Let's go."

Biting my lip and with a look saying, 'I doubt there's a chance of that happening,' I did as I was told and met him before we continued to the entrance. When we reached it, we stopped, and I took my key out of my jacket pocket that I was once again wearing due to the chilly night air. "I don't need you to escort me all the way to my apartment. The last thing I need is for people to get ideas, especially with you."

Demetri smiled. "Especially with me? Am I that repulsive?"

I shook my head, with a small sigh, not knowing what to say. He was not repulsive for who he was but for what he was and what he did. I knew it was a part of him, but the fact that he killed people at all was sickening in my head. I stared at the concrete ground and waited for him to walk off so I could go inside, but he did not move. His hand reached out, and he moved some of my hair back behind my ear. My mind was numb.

When I least expected it, he turned away and began walking back to the car. "I'll pick you up at six Friday morning. Be ready."

I watched as he got into the car before stepping inside the building and making my way to my apartment door. Now I was here trying to forget it all had happened and live as normal of a week as I could. I had a feeling that would not be possible, and I was right. When I went to class the next morning, I could not concentrate on a thing.

We were studying information about another Italian Renaissance artist, but I did not even catch the name. All I knew was that he was less famous around the world but renowned in Tuscany. I stopped translating the professor's words and stared out the window. All I wanted was for the class to be over with so I could go to work and put my mind on something else. Although work was tedious in itself and that could make my thoughts even worse.

As the professor dismissed the class, reminding us that our rough drafts for our research papers would be due that Wednesday, I gathered up my books and quickly left. I nearly ran back to my apartment to drop everything off before taking off down the road. Any other day I may have taken the bus, but at this moment, I needed the fresh air. The sun was out, and vampires could not go out into the sunlight. The sidewalks were safe.

I took my time as the boutique was not too far from my residence. I pondered over how I would tell the owner that I would need my weekends free for the rest of my stay here. I could not say that I was being forced to go to Volterra every weekend to learn about vampires so I could become one. No, that was out of the question even though it was the truth. I would make something up about studying for finals. It would not be too much of a lie. I did need to prepare for them.

When I reached my destination, I walked in the door, little bells ringing behind me. The boutique was privately owned and a prime location for wealthy business men and women. They had formal and casual business wear of all kinds including a tailor on site for fittings. My host family, the family that I could check in with if I needed anything while studying abroad, knew the owners of the shop and were the ones who helped me get on. I did not want to spend a year without employment, and working abroad, in the field I wanted to enter, looked great on a resume.

I took a look around until I saw Giorgia near the fitting rooms. I began to make my way over to her when she glanced up at me and smiled. We addressed each other in Italian. "You are early this afternoon."

"Yes, I needed to talk to you about something."

Giorgia led me over behind the main counter and into the back room. We rarely ever spoke on the floor to each other, even when we were closed, as she felt it gave off a bad vibe. "What's going on?"

I had thought it over on the way to the boutique, running over how to say it in my head, but when it came right down to telling her, I dried up. I had a fear of disappointing people, and Giorgia had been so wonderful to me during this past year that I did not want her to be upset that I would not be able to continue working the weekends, the busiest time for her. I took a small breath, pulled up all the confidence I could, reminding myself that I did not have a choice but to do this, and spoke. "Exams will be coming up very soon, and this past week and even today, I was given so much to study for and to complete before exams even come around. I'm going to need my weekends to work on it, but I can keep my regular hours Monday thru Thursday."

I did not expect her to smile at this, but she did. It was relief that she was not angry. "I had wondered when you would ask." She reached out and patted my shoulder. "You work too hard, and your exams are important. I want you to get the highest marks on them. I was going to make you take some extra time off if you hadn't said anything yourself. Fran will be in on the weekends, so we will be fine."

I smiled back at her and nodded. Giorgia was a very thoughtful and caring woman, but she would have to be since she was a mother of four. Like her husband, she was all about family and doing what was right for those around her. I had nothing to be worried about in the first place, but for some reason, I always worked myself up anyway. "Thank you."

"If you want, you can go ahead and clock in. I was finishing some of the orders since Ila will not be in again today."

Ilaria did all of the tailoring for the shop, but for the past week, she had been unable to come in, leaving the work up to Giorgia who was also considered a couturier. Giorgia had taught me how to properly sew and use a sewing machine, so I helped after hours. We managed to fulfill what needed to be done for the clients, but we were both ready for Ila to come back.

"Is she still sick?"

"Unfortunately, but she is sounding better. She hopes to be in tomorrow." Of course this was questionable. Giorgia refused to let her come into work when she found out, and if she was coughing even a little, Giorgia would kick her back out. One thing I could say about this woman is that I had never had a boss like her before. Back home, if you were sick, they still expected you to come in unless you were dying. I would miss this place and the people around me. I may not have been going back home, but I was going back to a very controlling society of vampires.

I clocked in and got to work re-sorting the racks so I could hang what hung on the return in the fitting room. It was just before one in the afternoon when the boutique would be opening again, and Giorgia liked to make sure the floor was ready before then. She had apparently skipped lunch just as I had. Most of the work had already been completed.

The afternoon was slower than usual, and when we closed the shop at five, I asked Giorgia if she needed me to stay later to help with the tailoring orders. She told me that she would complete it before the evening was over and that I should head on home. I shook my head and decided to stay anyway, but she pushed me out the door at seven that evening stating I would work myself to death if I did not leave now. I could only laugh before telling her that I would see her tomorrow.

The sun was just starting to set, but there was enough light that I still felt safe to walk back to my apartment. I walked quickly, paranoia setting in that someone was following me. However, when I turned around, there was no one there. They were playing games with my mind, and it would never stop.

That night, I slept, but it was restless.

The next day passed without event, but that was not the case come Wednesday. Wednesday morning I woke up and got ready, grabbed my folder with my rough draft, slipped it in my book bag and headed to class. Once they were collected, the professor let us leave. I decided that it would be worthwhile to take this extra time to study because I would not have the chance later on this week.

I headed to the library on campus to read through another chapter in our art history book as well as to re-read through my research paper on my flash drive. I had been given the founder of modern Italian painting, Cimabue. He was from Florence and developed a more naturalistic style of painting away from the Byzantine style of art. There was not much known about his life outside of his art, but his artwork spoke in cities all over the world. I had first heard of him while reading Dante's Divine Comedy, so it was nice to study the works he had in Florence and Rome first hand.

The time passed by quickly as I read through my paper. I was beginning to worry it was not written well enough. I was always told to never second guess myself, but I was notorious for doing it. I questioned and worried about most things that mattered such as a perfect GPA upon graduation. I hated to think that graduation did not even matter now. To me, it was still coming up in two years. My grades still mattered and so did the Latin honors on my diploma. The truth would probably not sink in until it was time but most things tended to go that way. It was never real until it happened.

I disconnected my flash drive after reminding myself that I had only turned in a rough draft. There was still time to fix it, and this would let me know, with the professor's comments, what I needed to change and what he thought was really well done. After putting the flash drive back in my bag, I logged out of the system and headed out of the library on my way to work. The first thing I noticed was that it was raining, and I did not have an umbrella. My books were safe in my bag, but I was quickly becoming soaked, so I pulled the jacket I was wearing over my head to at least keep my hair from getting too wet.

When I got to the boutique, Giorgia stopped me immediately and pulled me into the back. "My goodness, you were drenched. Give me a minute." Giorgia left momentarily to go up the stairs. The boutique itself was built under an apartment where she would stay if nights were too long or the mornings would be too early. When she came back, she carried with her a dry towel and a change of clothes. Thankfully, she was a petite woman and the clothes fit me well enough when I put them on. She immediately took mine and threw them in the dryer.

"Thank you. That's a lot better," I said combing my hair out with my fingers.

"Oh, come here." Giorgia pulled me to a chair and gently pushed me down before grabbing her pocket comb and running it through my long strands. This was one way I could tell she was mother and enjoyed it to no end. She was always treating Ila and me like this, and I did not mind. Since I was estranged from my family, it was nice to have again. When she finally sent me back out to clock in, she decided to let me work on the dress racks to space them out properly.

Ila was finally back and feeling much better to everyone's relief. It had been a couple of hours since I got there, and she had been at the fitting station the whole time. When she stood and came over to me, I had not even noticed. She tapped me on the shoulder, and I jumped slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized in Italian.

I shook my head and smiled. "It's okay. My mind is somewhere else right now apparently."

She smiled back before whispering, "Have you noticed that man over there? He's been staring at you for a while now. Do you know him?"

I looked up to where she pointed. Demetri stood on the other side of the store behind a circular floor rack of men's pants. He had the dark brown contacts in again, and our eyes met. I quickly looked back down. "Oh my god," I said in a state of disbelief.

"Who is he? A lover?" Ila was also very curious about what went on in everyone's life. She was not a gossip, but she did have to stick her nose into everything, albeit politely. She knew when to back off.

I blushed unintentionally and wanted to slap myself for it. I knew he could hear everything, and that was proven when he grinned at her question to me. I glanced up at him again briefly before looking back at Ila. "Would you excuse me for a minute?" I made my way across the boutique to the man that had become my own personal demon. I was afraid because he was in such close proximity to people I cared about, but I was also angry that he was even in the shop again. The anger took over the fear. Something told me they were not really in any danger.

When I reached him, he still had the silly grin on his face. "Humans are so predictable."

I ignored his comment. "What are you doing here?" It came out exactly how I wanted it to, exasperated and demanding.

Demetri cocked his head. "I can't come in to buy? I was only looking for a pair of pants to go with the shirt I recently bought."

I sighed in frustration. I turned to the rack beside me, found a pair of black slacks that looked to be around his size and shoved them at him. "These should work just fine."

"I hope you don't treat everyone who comes in here like that," he said teasingly.

Smirking slightly, I replied, "Only you." I began walking away from him. "Now get out of here. I have work to do."

He was behind me in a second, grasping my wrist gently and pulling me back towards him. To not cause a scene, I let him without fighting although I was struggling to not do so. Ila was definitely going to have thoughts about the two of us in her mind now. If only she knew what he really was and his true purpose for being there.

As I faced him, he released my wrist. My demeanor was calm, but on the inside, I was fuming. "Did Aro send you to check up on me? Is that what you really came here for?" I said it quietly enough that Ila would be unable to hear. Although she spoke Italian, she could pick up bits of English. I saw her watching us closely from her desk as she pretended to be marking measurements.

His answer was simple. "No." He said nothing else. Did he want to play a guessing game? If he was not here because Aro wanted me checked on, then why did he come?

"Did he change his mind? Did you come to collect instead?"

At this he chuckled. "Aro doesn't know I'm here."

I paused. If Aro did not send him, yet alone know that he was here, then Demetri came on his own. Did he honestly think something was going to happen to me before he took me back to Volterra on Friday? Would Aro really be angered at him if something did? It was my idea to begin with, and Aro had approved of it upon Marcus agreeing. He had nothing to be concerned about from my point of view. If something happened, it would come down to it being my fault over anyone else's. Aro was arrogant enough to never find himself at fault for anything. This I could tell.

"So you came on your own?" My confusion showed, and he took notice of it. "Won't he be upset?"

Demetri shrugged. "I don't need permission to leave. I was not needed, so I decided to come here instead. Besides, the apparel here is quite to my liking."

He left me to walk over to a selection of business suits and began glancing through them. I watched as he did so. Although I would not have guessed it after seeing his highly traditional attire at the palazzo, Demetri had fine tastes. The boutique carried off the peg suits mostly from Brioni, Armani, and Ermenegildo Zegna ranging from cool and stretch wool to wool and silk blends. He chose one from Zegna which did not surprise me. Demetri had a timeless elegance about him just like the flawless craftsmanship of the wool used.

"What do you think?" He held the suit up to himself as he asked, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. He was a vampire. It did not matter what he wore. He would look perfect either way. There was no getting away from that.

"It's great. Now will you please stop torturing me?" I crossed my arms in front of me, ready for him to leave. I hated him being there, and his presence made me nervous. I would have many questions to answer from Ila once he left, and I was sure then that Girogia would also find out and become interested as well. This I was not looking forward to, but the sooner he left, the less there would be to say. How would I reply to them anyway? Demetri was not my lover by a longshot. He was a vampire who thirsted for my blood. What a masochist.

Demetri frowned at my answer and replaced the suit perfectly even on the peg. He took a couple of steps toward me which put him close enough to pull me toward him if he should desire to do so. "Does my presence bother you so?"

He seemed hurt, and from this, I felt guilt. I did not understand why I felt guilty though. I had no reason to. He was the one who should feel guilty for bringing me into all of this. But I could not entirely blame him for that either. It was chance that it happened. He did not mean for it to, it just did.

I shook my head slowly. No, his presence did not bother me as much as I wanted to think it did. What bothered me is what his presence brought with it. He, in general, made me feel safe while in Volterra, and even now, I knew he would protect me if it came down to it, if only for his duty to Aro. However, he did cause a great deal of suspicion from people around me, and this I could not have.

"It's not that." Why was I apologizing? It sounded like I was. His eyes bore into me like he was trying to read what I had really meant, but I looked away.

At this, he took a step beside me and put a hand on my shoulder. "I guess I can understand." As I turned to reply, his hand left my shoulder, and he was gone.

I quickly looked back behind me to Ila to make sure she had not noticed his sudden disappearance, but her eyes were down in the book on her desk. He would not risk something like that so casually. He knew she was not paying attention at that moment, and that made me feel a little better. Maybe she did not catch our extremely awkward exchange at the last. When I walked back over to her however, she peeked up at me and winked. All I could do was smile and shake my head. The places her mind was going to was not for me to know.

As I was sure would happen, she questioned me more about the mysterious stranger. I told her we had met in the shop a while back and stayed in contact. He was a friend and nothing more, even if his desire was for such. "So it's one-sided? You don't like him at all? He's so handsome!"

"Looks don't account for much when it comes to me. He's not dating material." I ended the conversation at that, and she let it go. I was glad that she did because I was not sure what all I could make up about him to not let the secret slip. I supposed I could describe him as a character from a play I had been in. She would never know the difference, but I never wanted it to go as far as it had. The point of me coming back to human society was to get away from them until I was absolutely forced to go back.

As I left the boutique late that evening, I began my walk to the bus stop a couple of blocks down. I was very glad that it had stopped raining finally. Giorgia and I exchanged clothes again before I left the boutique, and the last thing I needed was to get soaked again. I did not make it far before I could sense someone following me. I stopped where I was and sighed with a slightly frustrated smile along my lips. The next second, Demetri was in front of me. "Would you like an escort? Dangerous things happen at night."

"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice since you seem content on following me around." I began walking again, and he followed closely in tow. As much as I hated to admit it, he was growing on me which was strange considering the short time I had known him. Even stranger was the fact that I was becoming more and more comfortable around a vampire.

We spoke no words, and instead of taking the bus, I continued along the sidewalk knowing I would have no issues with him near me. Although we said nothing to each other, my mind was ablaze with thoughts I knew Aro would obtain, much to my displeasure, when I went back to Volterra. The thought that ruled all of the others was how and why I was feeling the way I did towards him. Physical attraction aside, there was something more, a fuzzy feeling in my stomach when he was near. It was a feeling I had not felt before and that I was not fond of, but it was also a feeling that even so, I did not want to go away.

It was not long before I reached my apartment building on campus, and he walked with me up to the entrance. He was still quiet, his eyes never leaving me. "Thanks for walking me back." I said it sincerely. The night sky was clear enough that even through the city lights, I was able to see a glimmer of stars trying to poke through. It was a beautiful evening.

He nodded once before making his leave. I watched him as he parted, knowing he would not fully disappear until he saw I was safely inside. I took out my key and let myself in. Soon after, I could not feel his presence anymore, and I knew I was alone. I made my way up the stairs to my apartment and went inside. This week was going by quickly, but in a way, it also felt too slow.

The next day, I half expected Demetri to show back up at the boutique, but he did not. "Are you disappointed?" Ila was standing next to me again, shocking me out of my thoughts. If I did not know better, with the way she liked to sneak up on me, I may have thought she was also a vampire.

"What would I be disappointed about?" I continued pressing the fabric that had just came in. The shop was less than busy even though it was a beautiful day outside for people to shop, so this was the next best thing on the to do list.

"With your boyfriend not being here today. You keep glancing out onto the floor like you were hoping to see him appear out of nowhere or something."

If only she knew the truth about how he liked to appear out of nowhere. "He's not my boyfriend. We've been over this."

"Of course he isn't. The poor lover boy is doomed to the one who will not love him back."

I shook my head. He was not doomed. I was. Demetri was also not in love with me. He was performing his duty for Aro, just to an extended degree. He wanted to make sure I was in good health, so when he brought me back to Volterra, Aro would be just as pleased as the first day we met. It would be no fun teaching a broken human. For Caius perhaps it would be, but Aro at least wanted me in one piece.

"He's not really in love with me. It's what we called a puppy crush back when I was a child. He's obsessed with the new girl in town and that's it. He finds me intriguing. That doesn't mean a person is in love. Love is so much deeper than that, you know."

Ila then went back to marking the fabric I had already pressed so she could cut it later when she was ready. "If you say so, but the way he watches you. He never took his eyes off of you yesterday. It was eerie."

I nodded. "Yeah, he does that."

"It's a tad strange, don't you think? I never even saw him blink."

She was starting to pull out information that worried me, so I decided to end the conversation by saying it probably only appeared that way because he was staring so intently. Then I changed the subject. She got the idea that I was not interested in talking about him with her, and she moved on.

The day passed on, and I put in a few extra hours since I would not be there the whole weekend. Although I knew Fran would be in, there were still a lot of client orders to complete. We worked through what we could before Giorgia sent Ila and me both out the door. Ila lived down the road, so we said goodbye and parted ways. As I started walking to the bus stop, Demetri was there again. My heart did a sudden leap when I saw him, and he smiled. Could he tell?

"Would you care for my services once again?" He said this with a slight bow, and I could only laugh while shaking my head at how funny he looked. I shrugged, and just as previous, he stayed close behind as I made my way back to the apartment.

Upon reaching the building, he reminded me once again that he would be there at six the next morning. I confirmed that I would be ready, and he took off. Just as before, I could tell he was waiting for me to step inside, and the moment I did, he completely disappeared. I watched out the building window for a minute longer before heading up the stairs. That short walk had given me a lot to think about, and what I thought about most was how I had never felt safer with him there behind me.

And that frightened me.

* * *

**I finally have internet back, and chapter 5 has already been started. I hope to have it up in a shorter amount of time than it took to post this, but we'll see. I'm getting a lot of things changed over since I just moved across the country.**

**One thing that helps, reviews from my beautiful readers. Those emails I get make my day.**


	5. Law

My alarm was set for five Friday morning. I knew he would be there by six, and because of this I woke up multiple times throughout the night worried that I was not going to be ready. Even though the last time I had woken up was around 3:45, I decided to lie in bed in hopes I would fall back to sleep for that short period of time. It never happened.

I lied there thinking about what all there was to learn in becoming a vampire. I knew the basics. Once I was changed, my thirst would be uncontrollable, and I would have to learn to control it. The craving would be for blood as repulsive as it sounded to my human mind. Humans were not allowed to know vampires existed unless they were to become one, otherwise, they would die. There were other covens out there, and Eleazar was a member of one with a different diet. I still wanted to ask Aro about that when the time was appropriate.

The alarm sounded, and I shut it off, forcing myself out of bed. I first jumped in the shower then brushed my teeth. I had no appetite, so there was no point in trying to eat anything. In fact, my stomach was turning in knots that I was even going back there. I was looking forward to seeing Demetri again, he gave me so much to ponder, but I was fearful to see Caius. A part of me hoped he would not be there, but seeing as he was one of the leaders, I knew he would be.

I went through my closet to find something to wear and decided on a pair of medium wash boot cuts and a plain, black t-shirt. I at least wanted to be comfortable. I then grabbed my book bag and took all of the unnecessary items out of it by dumping it on my bed. Aro never really said what all these weekends would encompass, so I kept my laptop in there to work on my paper more if I had the time. I also put in a couple changes of clothes. I quickly changed before going to the mirror to comb out my hair. I decided to let it air dry. It would be a long drive, so it had time.

As I was finishing up, I heard a knock on my door. I put the comb down and peered out the peephole. It was Demetri. I shook my head wondering how he got inside the building without a key, but I figured if anyone could do it, it would have been him. He either broke in somehow or had someone let him in with his deadly vampire charms. I opened the door.

"Are you ready?" Demetri stood there in basic clothing as well, jeans, a button up and a leather jacket. His attire took me aback for a second because I had only seen him in suits before. What was worse is that he looked good in what he was wearing, really good.

I turned away as soon as I could. "Yes, just a minute."

"If I have to wait, then you are not ready. You shouldn't reply that you are." I looked back at him as he stepped inside and began looking around. Apparently vampires were curious creatures. "It's empty."

For some reason his statement made me laugh. He looked at me inquiring what was so funny. "Of course it's empty. I don't like to have a lot of things since I move around so much. I have clothes, bedding, a few personal items, and books. What else am I supposed to have as a poor college student?"

Demetri was silent and sat in the chair at my desk while he watched me finish packing. I packed my comb and my own toothbrush and toothpaste, even though I knew they would probably have it there for me again. It only seemed awkward to not pack my own. When I was done, I swung my book bag over my shoulder, lowered the window blinds by my bed, and headed to the door.

"Alright, let's get this over with," I replied unenthusiastically. He stared at me as I opened the door to step out, disapproving of course. After a moment, he stood up, pushed the chair back into its place, and we left.

I immediately saw the car parked outside of the building and almost dreaded getting back in it. I reluctantly made my way up to it, and he opened the door for me and helped me get in. When I was settled, he gently shut it and made his way around, appearing inside in less than two seconds. Good thing it was so early and no one was really awake yet since it was a Friday. If he could only learn to act human, but he had said it himself, he was a horrible actor.

The engine roared to life, but I was surprised that he took off slowly and at a comfortable speed. He still remembered the last time I rode with him. I felt a poke on my shoulder, and I turned to him. I had been watching the city go by from the window. "Hm?"

"What all did you bring?" He nodded toward my book bag which was blinking a white light from the side.

"Just clothes and some homework," I shrugged. "I figured I could work on it at some point."

His eyes had not left the bag, which made me a little nervous because we were still in town, but he was going fairly slow. "What keeps blinking at me?"

Laughing, I replied, "Are you scared it's going to come out and bite you or something? I thought that was your expertise."

I saw his eyes narrow at me slightly, but there was a playful smirk on his face. "I would certainly love to bite you."

I knew he was teasing me, but I also knew it was the truth which caused my heart to speed slightly. Because of Aro, he would never hurt me unless given the command, but he so easily could. Only control and Aro's warning to the guard was holding him back. I quickly changed the subject back to the blinking light.

"It's my laptop, and I would appreciate it if you didn't crush it like you did with my phone. It has all of my papers on it, including my term for Art History. It's 40% of my grade, and I don't have time to start it over." Of course I had all of my papers backed up on my flash drive in my apartment, but I was not going to tell him that. I still needed my laptop intact. Perhaps if he thought they were my only copies, he would not harm the little thing.

Demetri seemed interested with what I had said, but he stayed quiet, musing only to himself. He stared at the road a few minutes as we crossed the Arno River and merged onto the Fi-Pi-Li highway leaving Florence behind. His speed picked up to highway before he spoke. "What are you writing about for that course?"

I was a little curious that Demetri was asking about it. Why did he even care? Perhaps he only wanted to talk to keep me calm on the ride. The less silence, the better. "Cimabue. Have you heard of him?"

Light dawned in his eyes for a moment, and he nodded his head. "He was a founding father of the Italian Renaissance, a major influence to Giotto. I was unfortunate to never meet him, but you should ask Aro. Bencivieni painted a mosaic of the masters once. It's in a private hall of the palazzo. Then again, many artists have found inspiration in the masters over the years. He was only the first to be allowed the honor."

I still found it unnerving that Demetri and the other vampires I had met had been alive for so long. To me, they seemed so young physically, but I knew they were highly experienced in the ways of the world and their philosophies. The human mind just did not have the capability of imagining such a thing as immortality. Immortality dealt with living forever, and forever was impossible. There had to be an end, didn't there?

"That's crazy." I truly was shocked at this revelation. Aro had known him, had been painted by him. "Do you think I could get him to read my paper?" It came out before I even realized what I said, and after I said it, I felt ridiculous. He had much better things to do than look over a silly term paper that would not even matter in a couple of weeks because I would not be finishing college anyway.

Demetri glanced over at me and shrugged. "If he has time, he might. You would be surprised with all he could enlighten you with."

This I knew was true. After a couple of millennia, Aro and his brothers were probably some of the smartest beings on the planet. I did not know if there were vampires older than they, but the possibility of it threw me. There was still so much I had to learn about their world. I was excited for the knowledge, but I was also afraid of the cost to obtain that knowledge and what that knowledge could hold.

I was beginning to wonder about this weekend and what Aro had planned. I was deliberating in my head about asking Demetri. Certainly Aro had given him some insight considering it was his duty to play my guardian for the time being. What would Aro be teaching me or showing me? The question was bothering me immensely.

I gave up. "Demetri?"

"Yes?" His eyes stayed on the road this time. I could tell he was fighting with himself on whether or not to slam his foot down on the gas. He could probably run faster than the car was going, but I did not care.

"Did Aro tell you anything about this weekend? He left it pretty vague when we were talking last, saying something about learning the vampire ways and training my mind. What does that even mean?"

He sighed. "He didn't say much about it to me, but I can fathom that he will teach you mostly about our laws and what it will be like after the change so you can prepare your mind for it. The change is a difficult time, and it is even worse as a newborn."

Frowning, I thought back to the day when I first heard about becoming a newborn, how my thirst would override my senses. It sounded like I would be nothing but a mindless monster. It was the last thing I wanted. I would do anything to know how to control that, and if I did not have a choice, and they were offering their help, I would take it. I wanted to be in as much control of myself as possible because if I was not, then who knows what could happen.

"Then he'll teach me what I need to do after the change to control the thirst they say I'll have?"

"It's not quite that easy. You will be more aware of what you are doing which will make it a shorter time span for you to learn to control it. It will not start off that way unless you somehow are born with the gift for it."

I furrowed my brow. "A newborn can be born with the gift of self-control? That's possible?"

"Why wouldn't it be? It's extremely rare, but it does happen. It's more common in those newborns who were aware of what they would become but had a strong sense of humanity in their human lives, but even then, it has to be worked on." He paused for a moment before continuing, thinking about what he was about to say. "We had a vampire stay with us at one point that differed from us greatly. He lives amongst humans while keeping our secret. He's a surgeon in America."

Needless to say, I was astonished at this. Surgeons were constantly around blood. I left the disturbing fact that there were vampires in my home country alone. Demetri would probably think me silly again for believing otherwise, and I knew I could not bear to hear if there were others besides this one living there. "How can he be around so much blood and not slip?"

"Centuries of practice, I presume."

Out of nowhere, I laughed. The thought had just occurred to me, and it made good sense. "Now I get it. He's a surgeon. Is that what makes him different from you? He doesn't need to kill people because he has access to blood banks?" The more I thought about it, it was pretty smart. "He didn't want to hurt people so he found a way he could still sustain himself without murdering humans."

It was Demetri's turn to laugh, a small chuckle, quiet and mysterious. "Something like that."

It was not long before we were skirting around Pontedera, and I knew we were about halfway there. That half of the ride was fairly quiet. Demetri drove the speed limit, no reason to yell at him to slow down. My mind was thinking about what awaited me. Talking about it with Demetri had helped, and it also gave me a little bit of hope. Perhaps I would be one of the lucky, rare ones. Unlikely.

The city of Volterra was buzzing when we arrived. People were already on their way to work, cars moving by us and people along the side of the narrow streets. When I saw the Porta San Francesco, my breathing nearly came to a halt. I was back in the lion's den. Dracula's Castle may have been a slightly better reference the moment Demetri drove into the underground garage. When he parked, I did not move.

Demetri was over on my side opening my door before I could blink. It must have been nice to travel that way again. He held his hand out for me to help me up, but I refused and sat there staring at my bag. He frowned. "I would rather not drag you to them, but I will."

I sighed, knowing he would, then took his hand. When I was out of the car, he reached in and grabbed my bag. I looked at him warily, hoping he was not planning on doing anything stupid with it. When he turned to me and smiled, I felt better. He was only saving me the trouble of carrying it. What a gentlemen. The sarcasm was back, and I knew why.

"Are you taking me to where I'll be staying first, or are we meeting with them?" I was hoping it would be the former, but alas, I was disappointed.

"Aro wanted to see you the moment we arrived. I'll take you to him then drop your stuff off in your room." Demetri then took off walking, me reluctantly following behind.

When we arrived at the elevator, the doors opened, and we stepped inside. He pressed the button for the second floor. My heart sank. "We're going back to that one room?"

"Is that a problem?"

I shook my head. It was not necessarily a problem, but I knew what had happened in that room on my last visit. My worst fear was that we would arrive upon another feeding. Although I knew that was unlikely to happen, my mind did not stop playing the scenario over and over on our way up. When the doors opened to the reception area, I took a deep breath and stepped out. No humans except Jacqueline. Good, she was still alive.

She saw Demetri and me as we walked across the room, and she stood up to greet us. I smiled at her warmly. "Welcome back. Demetri had said he would be bringing you again today, so I picked up a little something just in case."

We stopped for a moment, as Jacqueline came around the desk holding a snack sized bag of individually wrapped candies. She had remembered the previous incident apparently. She handed them to Demetri, and he nodded, placing the bag in his jacket pocket. I thanked her, and we took off into the next room where we would pass through the antechamber into the grand circular room where the three ancients were awaiting.

As Demetri opened the door, I calmed myself steadily before stepping inside. The second I did, Aro fluttered over to me and grasped my hand. I gasped from the unexpectedness of it, and he apologized, if it could really be called an apology. "I am sorry, my dear. I seem to forget that you cannot process our quick movements. I was eager to see how your week had been."

He did not let go, soaking in everything that had happened between Demetri and me. That fact angered me slightly. There were certain things that a person should be allowed to keep private. "You could have just asked."

My tone was harsher than I had meant it to be, and I instantly regretted it. Aro's eyes dropped, and he released his grip on my hand. Behind him, I heard Caius sneer. "Watch your tongue, human."

Aro stepped back and retreated to his brothers. I noticed they were all back to wearing their black suits, no cloaks in sight. For some reason, this gave me a certain feeling of comfort. The cloaks were a sign of power. This much I had figured out. They wore them with Eleazar, and there was certain distaste for him and his wife, even though Aro called him friend.

I felt Caius's sharp eyes on me again. They never seemed to leave me when I was in the room. I made note to not make contact with them. That would give him too much pleasure. He was doing it because he fed off of fear, and he desired to breathe it in. He knew he frightened me, but I was not going to give in to that sick need of his.

After Marcus briefly touched Aro's hand, Aro sat down in his own throne-like seat staring at me intently. "Calandra, I will take from you when and wherever I wish. It is not your place to question. Do you understand?"

He had used my real name again, and I felt goose bumps pricking at my skin. He was serious, all games forgotten in that moment, yet my anger never dissipated. Quietly and strong, I replied to him. "You don't own me."

At that, Aro smiled knowingly, a smile that could only be described as haunting. "On the contrary, I believe I do."

In a sense, he was correct. He was a vampire. He was a thousand times stronger than I could ever dream of being, and he held my life in the palm of his hand. If he ordered my death, it would come. However, he only owned that. He did not own my mind, my body, or my soul. I was defiant. I knew I stood on dangerous ground, but seeing as my life was not my own anyway, I did not care.

He saw the look in my eye, and he turned to the vampire standing at my side. "Demetri?" Demetri took a step forward and bowed his head in recognition before Aro continued. "Find Jane and tell her I require her assistance."

"Master, is this necessary?"

I had no idea who Jane was, but something gave me the idea that I did not want to find out. Demetri appeared a tad shaken, pleading something to Aro. Was he defending me?

"She needs to be taught." Caius spoke again, his voice holding a cheerful note to it for once. On his lips, the usual smirk I had come to know was placed. His sadistic nature was clearly showing through, and my heart skipped a noticeable beat.

"I am inclined to agree with Caius," Aro remarked. "She is here, after all, to be taught our ways, and we do not indulge disobedience."

Demetri bowed his head once more before making eye contact with me. What I saw sent a shiver down my spine. Whatever was going on, I knew I did not want to be a part of, but for now, I had no choice. He quickly left the room, and I stood there quite alone.

Only a minute had passed when the door opened behind me. I turned and saw the very young female vampire from before who had stood behind Caius when Eleazar had come. She was not even five feet tall, and her chin length, pale brown hair framed her face in a way that only made it stand out more. In fact, if it was not for her face, I probably never would have known she was a girl. She had been changed before puberty took place, and her tiny figure was comparable to that of a preteen boy.

"You sent for me Master." She certainly had the voice of a child, high with a bit of airiness lingering, but she sounded more mature, completely engaged with her master.

"Ah, Jane." Aro spoke to her like an endearing father, and she eagerly smiled up at him. "You have yet to properly meet our new, potential member. What better way is there to introduce oneself than by sharing something special with the other? I am sure Calandra would oblige."

The second that Jane turned to me, and I noticed the same expression on her once angelic face that Caius had given me not long before, I stepped back, suddenly fearful for my life. Where was Demetri? He had not come back with her. Something was very wrong. I attested to that when I fell on the floor in excruciating agony. All I could hear were my screams.

As soon as the pain started, it had stopped. My breathing was ragged, but the release that came over my body was welcomed. What had she done? She could not have possibly caused that much torment and stand there as if she were watching some sort of entertaining show.

I heard a rustling of clothes and from my peripheral saw Aro making his way over to me. I kept my eyes focused on the cold, stone floor. "Get up."

Feeling physically fine, I obeyed his command having no intention of ever feeling that sort of misery from the little demon again. I noticed my legs were a little weak at first, but I attributed that to the shock of what I had just experienced. There was no damage on any part of my body. Could it have really been an illusion? It was too real.

He grasped my chin gently in-between his thumb and forefinger and forced me to look at him. "Now do you understand?"

Averting my eyes from his hard stare, I nodded, and he released me. I understood completely. This was how he maintained control and power. He operated on fear and pretended friendships and condolences. As long as he had his guard around him to instill terror in those who would contravene, he was untouchable.

"Jane, you may go." I saw the little vampire bow then watched her disappear out the door. I was thankful to have her presence away from me, and Aro could tell. "She is quite effective, wouldn't you agree?"

I stayed silent, not giving him anymore affirmation to his inquiry. My cold shoulder did not sit well with Caius, and he jeered pointedly in his seat. "You will answer when spoken to."

Having enough at this point, I decided to go ahead and give in to his command. I did not need Caius getting involved in this matter more so than he already was. I did not know what would happen if he did, and the thought of it made me sick to my stomach. I turned back to look Aro in the eye and firmly spoke, malevolence in my voice. "Yes."

The two of them seemed pleased enough with my compliance. Aro then turned to Marcus who I had forgotten was even in the room. He was so lifeless. He had not even made a move or changed his expression on his tired face when Jane entered the room or used her power. It continued to bother me about what caused him to be so still.

"Brother, will you take this young one and begin teaching her what our laws entail while I speak with our dear Demetri? You are much better at the task than I."

I had no idea how Aro expected Marcus to teach me anything. Sure I had heard him speak before, but it was short and to the point, very reserved. How would I comprehend anything from someone so monotone? But I should not have complained. Marcus was a much more suitable option than he or Caius.

As Marcus gave a curt nod to Aro, he began to stand, and Aro parted from the room, his eyes sending me a silent warning as he passed. I looked back at Marcus, but there was no need. He was already at my side. He gestured for me to follow, and I did, all the way out of the antechamber and once again in front of the ornate golden doors that lead into the grand library.

When we entered the room, Marcus immediately pulled out a chair, but he did not sit. I gathered he did this for me, so I walked over and carefully took a seat before he went to the other side and did the same for himself. We watched each other quietly for a moment before he spoke. "I must apologize for my brothers' incisive manner, but you would do well to learn from it. We run things a certain way to keep the coven organized and prepared should we need to intervene to protect our world."

Marcus was apologizing for his brothers' actions, and I could tell it was sincere. It was the first emotion I had felt from him since that day with Eleazar. Yet, he still agreed with their actions. His reasoning made no sense. On top of that, the way he phrased it, and Aro's previous statements, made me feel like I was to follow the masters as the members of the coven did, and they sure as hell were not my masters. "I'm not even a member of the coven. You can't expect to order me around like I am and me not be taken aback by it."

His words were gentle, yet resolute. "But you will be one of us soon, and you will conform."

This ancient was not harsh in nature at all, and it made him easy to communicate with, even if he was not much of a talker. He did not like the playful audience his brothers enjoyed, Aro with his manipulative behaviors and Caius with his cruel hand. Instead he stuck to the facts, interceding only when necessary, never appreciating meaningless instigations. Aro's action had incited my tongue.

"I haven't decided anything yet." My hands sat in my lap, clasped together, and I stared at them long and hard. What had I really gotten myself into? There was no decision to make. I did not want to be stuck with them for however long eternity would last, but I also had no desire to have them end my life. Neither option was better than the other. In both, I would be losing myself.

"And therefore, you are still human. With that being said, you are beneath us, far from our equal, and we demand respect far greater than that of our friends. You will comply, or you will be destroyed. The choice is yours to make. You can suffer, or you can accept the fate that was offered to you gratefully."

His reminder was unnecessary. Although when he said it, he said it as guidance and not to demean, I felt like I was nothing sitting there across from him. I was only human, easily broken and discarded like trash. I had felt that pain before not too long ago, and my chest was crushed to feel it again. I lost everything going against my parent's wishes for my life, and although I did not regret my choice, the emptiness I felt had been immense.

I took a deep breath before speaking again, needing a brief change of subject. "So what are these laws Aro wanted you to teach me?"

Marcus noticed the shift and continued on with it. "We have very few laws and only one that is regularly enforced. I am sure you can deduce what it is."

"Humans can't know about your existence," I answered. This had been drilled into me already, the reason why I must be changed or die.

"Correct. This is also why we do not appear in the sunlight."

Remembering something from the last time, I nodded. "Demetri told me it did something to your skin that made you stand out somehow, that the whole burning thing was just a myth."

"This is true, and in turn, vampires are considered creatures of the night."

"What does it do? Demetri wouldn't show me or say." I had been very curious since finding this information out. I was hoping with Demetri's frequent visits these past few days, I may have had the chance, but there was no such luck. He made sure to only appear at night or when the sun was concealed by the clouds. Even this morning, it was early enough that the sun had not risen completely, and the tints in the windows of his car kept it from shining through as he drove.

"When you are changed, you can see for yourself." Marcus ended the conversation as swiftly as Demetri had, and I wondered why. "Another one of our laws," he continued from before, "is the reason why you are here now. The newborn, or in your case, the soon to be newborn, must be taught our laws. Once you are changed, it will be our responsibility to monitor your behavior as to not risk exposure to the outside world."

I frowned remembering the discussion that took place not too long ago about what I would become after the change. A crazed monster that would only thirst for blood, humanity's call left far behind in its wake. Marcus said they would teach me to control the thirst. Without control over it, I could attack randomly and ruthlessly. That was what they had made it sound like, and that is what my mind played over and over again.

"Coinciding with this law is a very strict one. We thought it had been broken only a few years ago to find out all were innocent. Because their behavior cannot be controlled, a tantrum possibly costing the lives of an entire village, the creation of immortal children is banned and punishable by death."

"Wait, what are immortal children?" Wasn't Jane an immortal changed still as a child? Did they not break their own law in that process? I could easily see her destroying an entire village just for the fun of it, tantrum or not. She seemed innocent, but she was far from it.

Marcus stood and moved gracefully to one of the bookshelves adorning the wall behind us. He searched through a few until he found the one he was looking for. "A collection of our histories," he said as he made his way back to the table and sat the book in front of me.

He opened it up and flipped through several pages before stopping at the one he was looking for and stepping back. I stared at it engrossed by the picture before me. In it was a small child, possibly still a toddler, and he stood in a pile of bodies, blood flushed over his tiny lips. Even through a drawing, the sight was horrendous.

"The immortal children were very beautiful and longed for by those of our kind who wanted a child of their own. We soon noticed that these children could not be taught. Once we become vampires, we are frozen forever in the state we were as a human. Our minds no longer mature, and a human child cannot understand reason. When they are changed, they will never be able to learn control. They act on instinct."

"Then what happened a few years ago? You said you thought the law had been broken."

Marcus looked up toward the doors, and I followed his gaze. "That is my brother's story to tell." I watched as Aro stepped into the library and touched hands with Marcus. They exchanged knowing looks before Marcus turned back to me and gave a slight bow. "We will see each other again soon. Please consider what I have told you." He then left the room.

Aro moved to where I still sat and took a glance at the page in front of me. "Ah, yes, the alluring immortal children. It was always a pity to have them destroyed, but alas, it was a necessity to be taken." I met his stare, and he smiled. "Did you and Marcus have a nice conversation?"

"Something like that." He already knew everything from the touch of Marcus's hand. It made no sense why he would inquire about it.

What happened next was half expected and half left me questioning his motives. He held out his hand to me, and instead of grabbing mine, he left it still. "May I, my dear?"

I did not move at first, but realizing that he was actually asking my permission this time, whether I had a choice or not, I satisfied his request. He held my hand for only a short time, all of my current thoughts running through his mind. Confusion was on the top of the list. When he let go, our eyes met for a brief second before I looked away. "Thank you."

"I can acknowledge your requests, but you also need to acknowledge mine. Can we agree on that?"

Although it was only a false sentiment that he could relinquish his control to my behest, it was enough. I knew exactly what he was playing at. In the belief that he had given in, his hold over me became even more powerful. The more he enabled me to trust him, the closer he got to what he wanted, my gift to add to his collection of mindless stone.

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**A/N: This came out sooner than I had expected it to, so I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave your comments below! Reviews give me incentive to find the time to sit down and write.**


	6. Choices

**It's been so long! Here is the next chapter to All of You, and I hope you enjoy it! If you have any interest to read my newest piece of work, it is called No Prayer for the Lost. It will be generally Aro based with a touch of Demetri and the others. Carlisle even makes an appearance! The chapters are short as I am using it as a challenge fic for myself to write every day, but I'd still like your thoughts.**

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My eyes moved back to his, and I stared at him for an intense moment before nodding my head. I had already played their game once. Why not continue to play along for now? If I had some say, then I would oblige to Aro's demands, and they were demands.

I turned away from him again, and I noticed Aro swiftly seat himself where Marcus had once sat across from me. "Shall we continue where my brother left off?"

I shrugged. "Why not?" My reply was slightly monotone, but it did have a certain sound of frustration laced in making it seem more like sarcasm.

Aro lifted a brow but chose to ignore the remark. "Then the next law that would make sense to discuss pertains to the safety of our coven. When you become a newborn, you will be like that of an immortal child although capable of learning self-restraint. During those first few months, you will be watched very carefully."

Without meaning to, I interrupted, unable to stop myself. "I already know all of this." In my defense, they had talked plenty about the newborn phase. I was tired of hearing about the monster I would become should I choose to join them. Hearing it once was enough. The only thing that made it easier was knowing that if I decided to, they would be there to help me through it, if only for their laws.

"Calli, there is a reason we reiterate ourselves so often when it comes this. It is important that you understand." Aro was disappointed with what I was sure he presumed to be rudeness. I had no intention of being rude. I had no intention of speaking at all, but since when did that shut me up?

"I do understand."

With a soft sigh, Aro gently shook his head. "But you do not comprehend, my dear."

He was right, but comprehension only comes with experience, and I had no experience as of yet as a newborn or had seen a newborn myself. It would be impossible to fully comprehend until that time came. I would know then fully what they had meant about the thirst. I had felt thirst as a human. The dry, cotton mouth feeling was not pleasant but it was bearable until I could drink again, the repercussions of surgery. No, I could not comprehend this thirst he talked about that would incline me to take another person's life. "You can't expect me to. I'm not one of you."

"I suppose you are right."

Aro paused for a moment in the lecture, and I took advantage of it while he was thinking. It was a question I had been curious about since I found out what the tour group had really been. "How often do you…" I stopped for a second trying to think of how to phrase it before continuing, "need blood?"

He looked up at me, a slight glimmer in his eye on the mentioning of the crimson word. "We typically feed every other week, sometimes more and often in-between."

His reply was so nonchalant that it took me back for a moment before I realized that for him, it was probably just like me eating a normal human meal. He had done it for so long that he no longer had remorse for the lives he took, if he ever felt guilt at all. Something inside told me that he did not. It was who he was as a power hungry leader.

"Then you normally bring in these tours and in-between them, you go out into the city and hunt?"

"Ah, that is where our conversation was to begin. We do not hunt in the walls of the city, nor do any other vampires in the area. It is strictly prohibited. Volterra has a long history with vampires, and we would prefer the people living here believe them to truly be a thing of the past."

I had never heard the history of Volterra, but Aro now had my mind coursing for information. I decided to file it back for another time, perhaps ask Demetri later on when I saw him again. "Then besides the tours, where do you hunt?"

"The guard will go outside of the city walls, quite a distance out, to feed when they feel the need arise."

"What about you?"

"But we are not talking about me, are we?" Aro brushed off my question easily as something he did not want to talk about. It only made me want to know more, but I did not push. There was no chance to anyway as he continued on a second later. "We also must be very careful with who we bring to our city or choose to feed on. The human cannot be of importance and would not be easily missed. Runaways, addicts, and the homeless make for good targets."

He named them off effortlessly like the type of person who thought these people to be the scum of the earth would have. It made me sick to my stomach, but I held my tongue and did not voice my opinion on the matter. Instead, I went to the next question on my mind. "Then what about the tours? The people who come here as tourists certainly have money and are respected. How do you explain that away?"

"The tours are chosen carefully through competitions or a lottery. Humans who wish for more in life, who want an escape, enter their name, and from these, Heidi decides who to bring to Volterra along with Jacqueline."

I stopped him immediately. "Wait, Jacqueline helps with this?" There was no way another human would help lead to the demise of another. I could not possibly fathom it. Sure there were murderers out there, but this was different. Jacqueline was not like that. It could not be true.

"You must not hold it against her. You see, she was given the same ultimatum as you, although her fate has yet to be decided."

He had a point. She was protecting her own life, but would I help take away the lives of others in order to save my own? I would like to think I would not, but I had never been in that situation. No one knows what they would do if given that choice. "But she's been around for three years, the longest you've kept a secretary. Demetri told me."

"Yes, she is competent, but such a decision cannot be made lightly."

"You threw me right into it."

Aro smiled at this. "But you are different, special."

"Because I have a gift." I sighed. He really was only interested in those he could add to his decorative set of ornaments. That is what the guard was. They were there not only to protect but also for show. Those with money controlled the world. The vampire with the most talents in their coven ruled theirs.

I looked down at the book in front of me, the book that Marcus had described as a collection of their histories. It was very old. The binding was the kind that was used during the medieval time period, parchment pages sewn together onto leather thongs that then laced through the carved channels of the wooden boards that formed the covers of the book. Stamped leather was then used to cover the boards and metal ornaments on all four corners were placed to protect the binding when laid on a surface.

Reaching up, I carefully turned a page. The words, beautifully handwritten, I did not understand. I could feel Aro watching me closely, and it slightly unnerved me to the point that I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. When would Demetri be back? How much longer did I have to spend alone in Aro's presence? I had to get my mind on something else other than what I was sensing from him. It was overwhelming to a fault.

I turned another page of the book, and when I did, Aro placed his hand on top of mine. He did not grasp it like he would have if he had only wanted my thoughts. Instead, he gently laid it to rest as if he was intentionally trying to comfort the turbulence in my mind instead. I looked up at him, and although his lips did not smile, his eyes did in a meaningful way. "Would you like to read it sometime? After all, the more you get to know us, the easier it may be for you to see why we do what we do."

I tried to ignore his hand and looked back down at the writing on the opposite page. "What language is this in anyway? Greek?"

When I replied, he removed his hand but did not turn from my face. "The earlier parts are all written in Greek while the latter is mostly in Latin. I could translate it for you, however, it would be beneficial to learn both languages at some point and especially if you expect to read many of the documents we keep. Caius is a wonderful teacher when it comes to languages. He even taught my darling Renata Ancient Greek when she came to live with us."

I cringed slightly when he spoke Caius's name. I would prefer being alone with Aro for an entire month straight over being alone with Caius for a couple of hours. I shook my head gingerly. "That's okay."

A soft chuckle escaped Aro's lips. "My brother keeps up his appearances well, my dear, but he is not always so harsh. He is a great lover of theater and culture. It is a passion he holds dear, one that you ultimately share. You could learn a great deal from him if you gave him the chance."

My thoughts staggered. "Maybe if he stopped looking at me like he wants to tear me apart."

"Yet that is the premise he keeps."

My mind wandered back to Aro's previous statement about Caius teaching someone else Ancient Greek. I had not heard the name before, and I wondered if she was another member of the guard. "Who's Renata?"

"Renata is very close to me. I have made her my personal guard. You have seen her before, but I should properly introduce you some time. I think the two of you would get along nicely. She was about your age when she was changed," Aro replied, speaking lovingly about the girl.

"She's your personal guard? Is she the one that was with you when Eleazar was here?"

"Yes. The poor girl never wishes to leave my side, but at times, I send her away to be with my brothers. It worries her greatly, and due to this, she never strays too far."

"She sounds very loyal to you." She sounded too loyal or perhaps even infatuated with Aro's protection if what he said was true. Why would he need protecting to begin with? Certainly he was as strong as the other vampires in his coven and could defend himself if necessary. Was it possible that the millennia had weakened him?

The ancients all had skin that stood translucent to the light and seemed could tear at any moment. Their eyes were a dark crimson, same as the others, but added to this was a milky glaze as if they had been staring at the same object for hours without blinking. Did this perhaps cause his vision to blur as it would a human's? If he was unable to see properly, then a protection detail would make sense. There was so much I did not know about these three ancient kings of the vampire world. It was as if they were looked to as gods.

"She is. My little Renata." Aro's tone of voice went somewhere else with his reply. I could not place it, but it was as if he knew something that I did not. His eyes were thoughtful for a moment before he focused back on me. "But you have yet to feed, my dear. We must find you something."

The way Aro said 'feed' made my stomach twist in knots. It was not normal to use that word in the place of 'eat,' and I was not fond of it at all. It put horrible images into my head. I may never have seen them 'feed' before, but I could imagine what it was like. "I'm not really hungry."

"Nonsense," he replied shrugging off my answer. "You do remember what happened last time you were here?"

I shook my head in slight disbelief at his reminder. "Okay, last time, I hadn't had any food in nearly three days. That was expected. I skipped breakfast. It's not the end of the world." My tone rose a little with him, but he did not seem to care as my statement was clearly unimportant.

"You must feed, _cara_." He was insistent, and I gave in, sighing quietly in defeat. "Good. Then we shall see what we can find." Aro stood then, his movement so fluid that I was lost in it for a brief second. "Demetri."

When he spoke his name, Demetri appeared in the library almost out of nowhere, but the door stood open, he, only a step inside. "Master?"

As Aro walked over to him, he stopped in front. I thought for sure he would take his hand as he always did to those around him, but he did not. Their eyes connected and silent words were shared between them in the smallest moment possible before Aro spoke again. "Calli has yet to have any nourishment. Make sure she gets something. Tomorrow, Jacqueline may take her to the market."

Demetri gave a nod of his head, and Aro walked from the room, swiftly but at human speed. However, when I followed Demetri out, he had completely disappeared from sight. I waited to make sure Aro was definitely not close by before speaking. "I'm honestly not hungry. I really don't think I could eat right now anyway."

"Humans need food at least three times a day, so you will eat three times a day. Conversation closed."

"It's not as specific as that. We eat when we're hungry. It doesn't have to be like clockwork. You feed when you need blood, and we eat when we have hunger."

Growling slightly under his breath, he stopped in his step and turned to face me. "I said the conversation was closed. The master's word is law. You will abide by it."

To say I was upset was an understatement. I was put off by his behavior, but the fact that they continued to think I was going to roll over for them like they were the height of society and I was the scum of the earth with no mind of my own irritated me. This was a small matter about food. It was not a refusal of returning to Volterra or Aro taking my thoughts as before.

I stared defiant. "First, stop ordering me around. Secondly, if I'm not hungry, you can't make me eat."

After this statement, a small smirk appeared on his face as if he was tempted. "Do you really want to test that?"

"So what? You're Caius now, trying to scare me into doing what you want?"

The next thing I knew, I felt myself flying back and hitting the paneled the wall. I hit it hard, and I hissed from the impact. Demetri stood over me, his hands digging into my arms and his body pressing mine against the surface. Our eyes met, and his bright red irises quickly turned as dark as pitch. "Don't."

He held me there a while longer, and his gripped loosened as he tried to calm himself down, the same as I. The intense eye contact we shared was deafening. The world around me was shut out, and I knew he was fighting with himself in that moment to not do what he desperately thirst for. It was not until a foreign presence appeared in the room that the connection was broken, and Demetri stepped back putting me a small distance out of harm's way.

"Did I interrupt something?" I turned to the man who had spoken. He was also a vampire, very tall, well over six and a half feet and had an ominous, muscular build. I could not imagine the strength he possibly contained in his arms alone. His features were much like Demetri's outside of their differences in physique, and his voice lighter than what would be expected from such a giant.

"Not really, Felix, only a disagreement," Demetri answered. His voice was etched with disdain, and it made me wonder if the other's appearance was actually misleading.

I saw Felix frown as he stepped closer to us. "Go feed, Demetri. You're no fun when you're like this. You don't want any accidents to happen while she's in your care, do you? I can take her back to the room."

The comment flicked something on in Demetri, and I saw him turn to Felix baring his teeth with a snarl. It was an animalistic move that took him out of his normally, stately element. I half expected him to attack the other vampire, but Felix threw his hands up, reconciling the situation. Demetri backed down and swiftly moved to my side, gently taking my arm in his hand. At this point, I was afraid and did not fight.

Demetri's eyes were even darker if such a thing was possible, and he started to lead me out of the room into the reception area. Felix followed behind. After the display of aggression a moment ago, I was shocked Demetri did not stop him from being so close. Perhaps Demetri knew that he had his point across and therefore Felix following was no longer a concern. What I did not understand is why he acted the way he did when Felix offered a simple suggestion. It felt almost territorial.

As we reached the desk Jacqueline sat at, she stood up awaiting a direction from Demetri. I worried for her life in the brief seconds of silence that followed, but Demetri did not attack. Felix never took his eyes off of him either. When he spoke, his voice was softer than earlier and my tension eased. "Aro wishes for you to take her to the market tomorrow, but until then, you will need to find her something to eat."

I knew Jacqueline could tell there was a problem. If she knew everything, then she knew what it meant when their eyes were black. She looked at me and then back at Demetri. "I did bring extra with me today just in case. If you would not mind, I could take her to the kitchen." She had chosen her words carefully, wording them in a way that would not set Demetri off again. She apparently felt the same as I.

Demetri was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "Make sure she eats." He turned back to face Felix who was leaning against the table behind me and taking in the scene. "Let's go."

After Demetri let go of my arm, I did not move. I watched as Felix went up to him and punched him lightly on the arm and then watched Demetri do the same back before they disappeared from sight. When they were gone, I turned to Jacqueline, and she smiled. "They're always like that," she said noticing my interest.

"It didn't seem that way earlier. I could have sworn Demetri was going to attack him."

She tilted her head at my response. "What happened?"

Shaking my head, I thought back to that moment. I did not know. I had compared him to Caius, but any other time, he would have only scoffed at me. Did Aro say something to him while I was with Marcus? Is that what upset him? If Aro had said something, was it about my earlier behavior? Demetri had said that I would abide by the master's rules. Marcus had told me much of the same thing just as Caius and Aro had previously implied. It was all about me accepting that my will was no longer my own, and since Demetri was intended to be my caregiver until the time came for me to decide, it was his duty to make sure I followed theirs.

"We had a slight argument about something, and then Felix showed up. He offered to take me back, but Demetri freaked out. I've never seen anything like that before. He changed." I was nearly breathless, a slight stutter, trying to recall the scene.

"He cares for you."

I paused. That could not be right. "That's where you're wrong. He doesn't give shit about me." The words came out of my mouth without a filter. I never spoke that way unless I was on edge, and there was no denying that I was at the time.

Jacqueline dropped it as soon as she brought it up. Stepping around the desk, she began to make her way to the other end of the room. "Are you coming?"

Hesitating, I weighed my options. I understood why Demetri left. It was a winning situation for him. He was given the freedom to feed with Felix because he knew I would willingly do as I was told if another person's life was on the line. If I refused, it would not only be me that would pay for it, Jacqueline would as well since I was now in her care. He was certainly clever, but so was I. I walked over to her, and we descended on the elevator to the ground floor.

When the doors opened, I stepped out first and then followed Jacqueline down the long hall. We took a couple of turns and ended up in an old fashioned kitchen, a crooked, wooden door letting us in. The room was not well lit and minimal fitting no more than a maximum of four people at a time. The dark, wooden table was shoved in a corner behind the door. The stove looked to be updated to gas, and the refrigerator next to it was short and round, white with gold fixings.

Jacqueline opened it up and took out a paper bag handing it to me. We went over to the hidden table and sat. The seats were hard being that they were crafted from iron, and once more, I felt like I was in the middle of the dark ages, the oil lamps and appliances being the only parts of the room pulling me forward into a later era. These private areas of the palazzo were deeply depressing, and I wanted to go back out into the warm sun.

I reached into the paper bag and took out a sandwich, unwrapping the foil around it. I took a small bite before looking back up at Jacqueline who had sat with me opposite. The food was tasteless. That was not to say that it was not good, but I had no desire to eat. I swallowed. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Jacqueline replied.

"How did you start working here? I mean, where did you hear about the job?"

"There was an ad for it on a job board, and I applied," she began as if it were nothing. "I was in between work at the time, and the pay was good. I put in my application, and I was contacted by Heidi not long after asking me to come in for an interview."

"Is that when you found out?" I took another small bite of the sandwich, chewing without enthusiasm.

"Not right then," Jacqueline continued. "Heidi asked me numerous questions, but she did not mention the arrangement until I came in the second time. It was then that I also met with Felix and Demetri and soon after, Aro. He informed me of what they were."

"What did you think?"

She half-heartedly smiled, a memory perhaps coming into her mind. "I didn't believe him at first. I never believed the old myths of vampires once living in the city. It seemed too far-fetched. Of course their complexion took me aback, but Aro was the only one who had shown me his true eyes." She paused for a moment, thinking of what to say next. "His appearance was of concern, so I didn't voice my opinion to him, but somehow he knew. It wasn't until later that I realized with touch he could read my every thought, and he proved to me what they were."

Her eyes had gone dark, and she looked down at her hands that were clasped on the table. "How did he do that," I asked slowly.

"By showing me the bodies." She was quiet, a sort of distant stare crossing over her vision. "He gave me the decision."

I sighed. "Join or die?"

Coming back to the present, a sad smile came over her face. "Of course, my fate is still undecided."

I thought once again about what Demetri had told me, that she had been there longer than the rest. It would appear to be clear what they had decided if that was the case, but then why did they hold off? "If you had the choice to stay human or to be changed, what would you choose?"

"Immortality is an appealing option, but we were not born to live forever. If I had that choice, I would continue with life for as long as I had left, and I would be satisfied. Life is more meaningful when you don't have forever to experience it."

"And now?"

"I don't expect to have the choice and have accepted the fact."

Frowning at the thought, I had more of an idea of why they had kept her around for so long. Vampires thought themselves high and mighty over the musings of mere humans. Jacqueline had no vanity in the sense of priding herself on becoming one of them. She understood her position in their eyes as only a means of sustenance when they grew tired of her presence. It was admirable yet horrifying.

"But what if they do? What if they give you the choice? What would you decide?" I would be in that very situation soon enough, and even now, it did not feel real to me. It was impossible to imagine having to choose life as a servant to eternity or death without ever living.

"My sins are too great. If the blood of others is what it takes to live, then I would rather die. Call me selfish for allowing it this long, but the reason is purely the opposite. Do you think me wrong for it?"

"Do I think you wrong for what? Knowing that you help send people to them to die?" I shook my head. "I don't know. I don't know if I wouldn't do the same thing being given the alternative. It's cruel, isn't it?"

Jacqueline braved a smile at me in her expression, a sad smile but knowing. "The alternative would be a daughter growing up without a mother."

My eyes widened upon hearing this fact. "What? Do they know this?"

"Of course. She's part of the reason I applied. The pay was enough to send her to a good school, and when I found out, I sent her to one abroad to protect her. She does love it there."

"How old is she?"

"She'll be fifteen in a couple of months."

I wondered if maybe another reason they had kept her around was because of her daughter, but I quickly dismissed the idea. Aro would care nothing about such a trivial matter. She may have sent her daughter away to keep her from being near the Volturi, but with Demetri, she was never truly safe. Jacqueline must have known that. It would be too easy to dispose of them both with some tragic story, but of course, they had not. Was it another game to them? It was certainly one I could see Caius playing. He would be laughing at his own sick sense of humor.

I had only eaten half of the sandwich, and it would be impossible to try to stomach more. I wrapped the foil back around it and placed it back in the paper bag. "Do you think Demetri will be satisfied enough with that? I can eat the rest later."

She nodded. "I think so. You did eat something."

Standing up, I put the bag back in the refrigerator. Jacqueline stood and went to the door opening it for me. I stepped out and she followed. "When do you think he'll be back?"

"They shouldn't be long, an hour at the most," she said turning to me. "Are you ready to head back upstairs?"

"I think so. This place is a little daunting. At least there's color in the receiving area."

Jacqueline laughed. "Color is good to brighten up one's spirit. It's psychological."

"Which is why it's there, another trick they play," I thought out loud. "It makes you feel cheerful, relaxed, safe..." We were at the elevator once again, and the doors opened with a small chime. We stepped inside. "At least until you're consumed by eternal darkness."

When we reached the reception area, I went to sit on the sofa and was joined by Jacqueline while we waited for Demetri and Felix to return. We were silent for some time having nothing of note to continue talking in the opening. There was one thing that bothered me, and I contemplated on asking. Jacqueline noticed. "What is it?"

"I guess I was wondering why you said what you did."

She raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

"When we were talking about Demetri, you said that he did what he did because he cared about me. What made you think that?"

"If there is one thing that I've noticed about vampires while working here, it's that they are highly territorial. They defend what they want to protect."

Shaking my head, I replied. "That makes no sense. Felix wasn't trying to hurt me. Demetri didn't need to protect me from anyone but himself."

"But because of what you told me Felix said, Demetri probably felt intruded upon and reacted."

"That doesn't mean he cares. It means that he's acting like I'm his property," I said my frustration mounting.

Jacqueline smiled at me. "Felix and Demetri are very close. I can't imagine he would act that way toward him for anything less. You'll understand as you're around them more."

Maybe she was right, but I still did not believe her. I was a prisoner here, and that was all, only wanted for my blood or my gift. I could not sense the desire in Demetri for anything but the former, and I was rarely wrong about such things. It radiated off of him.

Jacqueline and I turned as we heard heels sounding across the floor. As we did, Heidi appeared holding a large manila envelope. "Where's Demetri?"

"He went out with Felix to go hunting," I answered.

"It seems your scent has quite an effect on him after all," Heidi said confirming my suspicion. She then turned to Jacqueline and handed her the envelope. "A list of all possible choices for next month. Go through them and pick out the ones that will fit best."

"Of course," Jaqueline replied standing and moving to drop the envelope off at the desk.

Heidi then looked back at me. "When Demetri returns, tell him I need to speak with him."

I nodded slightly confused, and she left the room. Once she was gone, I raised an eyebrow at Jacqueline. "Is something going on between Heidi and Demetri?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I think there must have been at one point, but I can only speculate which isn't smart to do around here."

I stood and walked over to the desk where Jacqueline now was scanning the documents onto the computer. Understanding immediately what the list was, I began looking through the names as they popped up on the screen. "Tell me something." She glanced up at me, and I continued. "Do families ever come on these tours? Children?"

Jacqueline slowed at what she was doing. "Sometimes. From what I've been told, they're preferable."

Because she was a mother, I knew this was none of her doing. Her mood changed as I mentioned it, and I could only imagine what went through her mind as she saw the groups come in and never come back out, pretending the whole time to be welcoming while it killed her inside. "I'll never want that," I whispered more to myself than her.

She then looked me painfully in the eye. "You may not get the choice," and I feared she was right.

* * *

**A/N: Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long as this one did to get up. I apologize. I was working out of state with very long hours and didn't have time to write on anything but what we filmed that day. I will start on chapter 7 very soon.**


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